


Something to Gain

by Clytemnestrasrevenge (orphan_account)



Category: VIXX
Genre: A Surprise Ship - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst and Fluff and Smut, M/M, Multi, Pining, Prince Sanghyuk, Royal Ambitions, Sanghyuk is a big baby, So Much Backstory its Like a Two-for-one Special, Unresolved Tension, Worldbuilding, lots of plotting, the opposite of slow burn, there's no incest i promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-12-28 21:54:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21143813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Clytemnestrasrevenge
Summary: Jaehwan vowed to himself that he would never go hungry again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was looking at a picture of Hyuken in Closer era, and then this just happened. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy <3

Jaehwan looked up, Sanghyuk’s brown eyes searching his own with an innocence that mislead. 

It was with agonizing slowness that Jaehwan moved. His arms unwinding from around Sanghyuks neck. Fingers skittering across his broad chest. The taller man standing completely bare before him. Jaehwan hummed, his breath coming ever quicker. Hands roaming ever lower. Brushing his fingertips around Sanghyuks length as lightly as the kiss of butterfly wings. 

Sanghyuk stuttered on an exhale, Jaehwan flooded with the heat of satisfaction. Loving that _he_ could make Sanghyuk react like this. Jaehwan went up on tiptoe. He nipped at Sanghyuks lower lip with his teeth, gently, almost tenderly. 

Sanghyuk kissed him then, groaning and closing his eyes. Jaehwans stomach filled with alcoholic warmth, dizzy with the wanting of it. The wanting of _him._ High on the longing that fairly poured off the younger man’s body. Jaehwan knew Sanghyuks tastes. Knew that Sanghyuk was getting drunk off the smell of him, wisteria and musk and a dash of something that was all his own. He could play his lover like a harpsichord, not a soul alive knew Sanghyuk better than Jaehwan did. 

Swallowing his lovers sighs of contentment, Jaehwan pawed at his stomach. Pushed him back against the wall with nothing _close_ to gentleness. He heard the way Sanghyuks breath began to race. Jaehwan allowed his muscles to slacken slightly. Lips finding the curves and dips of Sanghyuks stomach as he sank slowly to his knees. 

Sanghyuk groaned a curse, Jaehwan dragging his mouth down the inside of his thigh. Tongue finding his overheated skin and laving there as he stared up at Sanghyuk through his kohl-stained lashes. He raked his blunt nails along his lovers torso, across his hips and over his back. 

Jaehwan kissed him up and down, silken warmth and tasting a bitter sting at his tip. Sanghyuks body shuddered. The taller man moaned, a high, breathy sound that rang like violin song in Jaehwan’s ears. The elder smiled around the length in his mouth. The weight of it heavy on his tongue as he delighted in the array of sound he could pull from Sanghyuk. The visceral reactions that drove Jaehwan ever onwards, wanting to see and hear them all. 

Sanghyuk didn’t seem to be able to stand still. His back arching and legs trembling, beginning to pulse inside Jaehwans mouth as Jaehwan drew the _pleasure_ from him. Shaking harder with each twitch of Jaehwans tongue. 

Jaehwan devoured him like the most ravenous of carnivores, hungry, needy, _insatiable_ in the face of his lovers rapture. It felt like only a heartbeat later when the younger spilled his release down the elders throat. 

He stood mute and shaking before Jaehwan, drenched in afterglow. He was beautiful, Jaehwan thought vaguely, licking a stray bit of sticky white from the corner of his mouth and swallowing with a smirk. 

Jaehwan got to his feet and drew his lover to the bed. Pushed him onto his back, sweeping his sweat damp hair from his eyes as he settled on Sanghyuks lap. 

Trailing his fingers across Sanghyuks lips, letting him taste the burst of saccharine lingering on his fingertips from his special scrub, Jaehwan _watched._ He watched _carefully,_ noting Sanghyuks flushed cheeks, the way he clung to Jaehwan, how he laced their fingers together. His lover was ready for more. 

Jaehwan slumped delicately, propped up on one elbow atop of his lover. Sanghyuk kissed him on his open mouth, eyes closed, pulse jumping in his neck. “Jaehwan,” he breathed, longing clear in the rasp that was his normally strong voice. 

The elder took his hand and guided it down, _moaned_ as Sanghyuks fingers began to probe lower and lower and lower. The touch was hesitant, always so unsure. Roaming with the inexperience that came with his youth. Sanghyuk stood so tall, took up so much space both with his body and his presence but when they were in bed together, his lover was nothing but a boy of eighteen who’d never known the feeling of _anyone_ but Jaehwan. 

Shivers of delight running up his spine, Jaehwan provided Sanghyuk with the encouragement he required. Kissing his neck, tugging his hair, lips on his cheek. 

Warmth bloomed in his core, thighs trembling as Sanghyuks fingers curled inside him. Those long, slender fingers that Jaehwan couldn’t help but _adore._ He hissed, biting the soft place at the start of Sanghyuks jaw, nibbling at his ear, lapping at his plus point with heated abandon. The fire burning in the pit of his stomach swelled and he licked at the fresh sweat between Sanghyuks collar bones. Jaehwans back arched as his lovers fingers flickered, pressed inside him like sweet torture. 

Sparks flooded the inside of Jaehwan’s skull. Broken curses forced themselves from between Sanghyuks teeth as his fingers drew back, hand coming up to tangle in Jaehwans hair. A wordless request, a _plea_ for more. Jaehwan obliged. He’d _always_ oblige Sanghyuk, give his lover whatever he needed. 

He reached down, feeling how _hard_ Sanghyuk was and how _hot_ he was and how _weak_ he was and all Jaehwan could think about was _more._ Jaehwan sat upright, legs spread like a clamp on either side of Sanghyuks hips and he took Sanghyuk in his hand. Stroking slow, savoring the way the younger trembled beneath him, soaked with desire. 

Jaehwan lifted himself, blinded by the hunger for this man and sank back down on Sanghyuk’s length with a groan. Sinking lower and lower, inch by agonizing inch. He felt the tightening of Sanghyuks stomach, eyes wide and fluttering, mouth hanging open as Jaehwan began to rock. The entirety of his body undulating with the movement. Enveloping Sanghyuk in his own heat and overwhelming him with sensation as he pressed his hands to Sanghyuks chest. 

Sanghyuks head fell back onto the mattress, spine subtly arched, panting Jaehwans name with ragid, shallow breaths. The hands on Jaehwans hips were gripping tight, vices locked around him as he rolled a bit faster. 

The younger man pulled him down, kissing Jaehwan so lovingly that, if he were _anyone_ else, Jaehwan would have melted into it. As it was though, the elder went to work. Losing himself to all of it. Rising up and falling back down. Sanghyuks length pressing at that knot of sweet warmth in his core.

The lack of breath was strangling as Jaehwan looked at Sanghyuk. Sinking down slowly, pressing his fingers against his lovers toned stomach. Sanghyuk’s lashes fluttered. He was exhaling through his nose, short and sharp, those dark eyes of his almost begging. 

Jaehwan worried his lip between his teeth, listening to his lovers low whispers. Repeating Jaehwan’s name like it was a prayer. Like the single word would somehow keep him grounded. Sanghyuk _burned_ inside him, stoking that ever growing fire until there was absolutely nothing left but desire and Jaehwan knew in that moment, Sanghyuk would give him _anything. Everything._ Teetering on the edge of release, so hard that he was throbbing inside him, Sanghyuk would bring Jaehwan the world on a silver platter if he asked for it.

His lovers body shook against him as Jaehwan continued to rock himself deeper and deeper and deeper, never stopping. An escalation of the white hot pleasure coursing through his veins. He was right there, so close. _So_ close-

At the last possible moment, Jaehwan pulled off him, kneeling at his side and finishing his lover with his hand. Sighing as Sanghyuk spilled himself across Jaehwan’s stomach and chest, murmuring “Jaehwan, Jaehwan, Jaehwan…”

This exercise wasn’t for Jaehwan, his own pleasure wasn’t the objective, was _never_ the objective. Sanghyuk collapsed back on the bed and Jaehwan crawled up his spent body, kissing him before he had the chance to doze off. A slow and gentle kiss with just a touch of neediness. 

“Can you come again for me, your highness?” he purred, stroking Sanghyuk’s length, rekindling the arousal Jaehwan knew would still be lurking just beneath the surface.

Sanghyuk nodded, eyes heavy lidded but a spark bright in his pupils. He was hardening once more in Jaehwan’s hand. Good. Jaehwan licked at his prince’s bottom lip and smiled. 

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

Jaehwan stood to the right and behind Sanghyuks chair at the high table, draped in robes of adder green silk. His hands were clasped before him, practiced stillness keeping him entirely motionless, paying no attention to the breeze twirling around his ankles. It was the place of a servant and Jaehwan played his part well, focused wholly on listening for his princes command. 

But Jaehwan was no mere _servant,_ not a butler or footman. He was the concubine of the crown prince, His Royal Highness Sanghyuk of Antigoney. Waited on like a noble and possessing a measure of respect from those of lesser rank. It was a _small_ measure, true, but he took what he could get. 

He had been a common servant, in his youth. He had been _average._ Jaehwan had moved from his home in the countryside to the capital city of Chalon at the tender age of fifteen, sought employment in the palace and found it. He’d been a stableboy, lucky enough to be the one that tended the young princes beloved mare. 

“Love?”

“Yes, your highness?” Jaehwan replied softly, inclining his head and settling his gaze on the marble floor. 

Sanghyuks fingers found Jaehwans thigh, concealed from view by the edge of the table so that the other residents of court wouldn’t see. He tugged lightly at Jaehwans robes and worried the silk between forefinger and thumb. “Are you hungry?”

“No, your highness.”

“I wish you’d just sit and eat,” the prince replied, something _strongly_ resembling a whine edging his tone. Jaehwan forced down a smile. “I eat in my rooms, you know that, your highness.”

“Why can’t I eat with you in your rooms then?”

“It would be inappropriate, your highness.” 

Sanghyuk huffed, the corners of Jaehwans mouth turning up a little despite his efforts. This wasn’t a new conversation, they had it roughly once a week and even more frequently of late. Jaehwan could have mouthed along with the words Sanghyuk said next. 

“I’m the crown prince, I can do what I like.”

“You are, your highness, but I am not. We cannot interact that way. Dining with one of my station would be unseemly.”

Jaehwan could hear the wheels grind inside Sanghyuks head, drawing the seed hed planted there what felt like lifetimes ago ever deeper. If Sanghyuk wanted the kind of relationship Jaehwan knew he wanted, there was a simple solution. Marriage. 

“Finish breakfast, your highness. We can go for a walk in the gardens?”

Sanghyuk nodded sharply, once, tugging on Jaehwans robes before resuming his meal. Jaehwan straightened and smoothed out his features, displaying nothing but easy, serine blankness. 

Four years. He’d been with his prince for four years, standing at his princes side in public for three. Jaehwan had made himself indispensable, irreplaceable in Sanghyuks life. Sanghyuk had a bad day? He’d call for Jaehwan. Sanghyuk was working on matters of state and wanted to discuss a problem? He'd call for Jaehwan. Sanghyuk was feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities placed upon his shoulders? He'd call for Jaehwan. Jaehwan had become his princes safe harbor, his silent support, the place he rested his weary head and trusted that he would be cared for. 

Jaehwan love Sanghyuk, of course he did. Finding such genuine intimacy with another person would be impossible without love of _some_ sort. But what Jaehwan wanted was _power._ Ever since he was a child, he knew he wanted it. _Deserved_ it. He was meant for more than inheriting his father's farm, tending the land until his fingers were worked to the bone and his back permanently bent from strain. Jaehwan had been born for finery, to live in luxury with a crown on his head. Everyone always said so, the residents of his small hometown had called him fae. The little fairy boy that radiated light and joy, skin like milk and hair like spun gold. Hair that was meant to be decorated with a circlet of precious stones. 

The man sitting at his side was Jaehwans best chance to achieve his goal, to win his prize, and the fact that he cared for Sanghyuk was just a bonus. He would have seduced that damn king if he’d had to, or the queen for that matter. Even if she _was_ a horrible shrew. The only thing currently standing in his way was-

“Sanghyuk, has the tailor finished your clothing for the ball? I know you had the final fitting yestereve, it should be completed.”

The queens shrill screech of a voice carried down the table to where Jaehwan stood and he suppressed a scowl. “Yes mother, it will be delivered to my rooms this evening.”

“Lovely. Now, I’ve put together a list of eligible ladies for you to acquaint yourself with. It’s high time you took the search for a wife seriously.”

A wife. Sanghyuk didn’t need a _wife._ Some virginal, doe-eyed little broodmare he could knock up. Sanghyuk needed to be doted on. He needed care and attention and unwavering loyalty. He needed someone who knew him inside and out, could anticipate his every thought and attend to his fancies before they were fully formed in his mind. He needed _Jaehwan._

“I’ve told you several times, mother, I’m not interested,” Sanghyuk replied, his fingers finding Jaehwan under the table again. Jaehwan didn’t let his face show that he’d noticed. He also didn’t show that he’d noticed the dark glare the queen shot him. The stupid woman was not worth his time. 

“Son,” the king said, grumbling around the glass of wine that always accompanied his breakfast. If that habit didn't eloquently summarize the state of their ruling monarch, Jaehwan didn’t know what would. “We know you enjoy the company of your,” a disinterested hand waved in Jaehwans direction, _“Friend._ But you still need to marry for the good of the kingdom.”

“It is your duty as crown prince, Antigoney requires an heir,” the queen added, chiming in despite the fact that _nobody_ had asked for her opinion. “It will be your twenty first nameday within the week. You’re more than old enough, should have already been betrothed if you weren’t so stubborn.”

Sanghyuk abruptly pushed his chair back from the table and stood, smoothing down the front of his jacket. It struck Jaehwan at odd moments, how large the prince was. When they’d met, he and Sanghyuk had been the same height, Sanghyuk a hair thinner than Jaehwan and most definitely less intimidating. Almost painfully shy, actually. But now, almost five years later, Sanghyuk was downright enormous. A full head taller than Jaehwan and broader besides, with hands the size of grizzly paws and a body formed of solid brick. He made Jaehwan feel minuscule. Tiny and delicate and breakable and the fact that Jaehwan was three years his princes senior counted for less than nothing when Sanghyuk could snap him like a twig. This was one of those odd moments, Sanghyuks size leaving him awestruck. 

“I’ve lost my appetite,” the prince snapped, dropping his napkin atop his half-full plate. Jaehwan knew better than to look up, knew better than to take his princes hand. “Come, Jaehwan.”

Jaehwan fixed his eyes on the floor, gliding behind Sanghyuk as he stalked away from the table. “I’ll have a page bring you the list later,” the queen called, ignoring her sons words the way she always did. 

Only once they were out of the dining room and walking down the palace steps did the prince lace his fingers with Jaehwans and squeeze gently. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, love,” he murmured, drawing Jaehwan along a path and settling down under the trunk of a large oak. “You’ll stain your trousers, your highness. And I do not know what you mean. I would never eavesdrop on his royal highnesses private conversations.”

“Liar,” Sanghyuk replied. From his place in the grass, Jaehwan could look down on him. A rare treat. The ghost of a smile curled the corners of Jaehwans mouth as he eyed the band of gold circling Sanghyuks head. _Gods_ he wanted that crown. 

He didn’t want to steal it from Sanghyuk of course, he didn’t want to be the sole ruler of Antigoney. To be the king. But to be a prince consort, married to the king and free to lounge and be pampered for the rest of his life? _That_ was the kind of future Jaehwan had always wanted. 

“Your pointy ears are always perked up, listening for secrets,” Sanghyuk went on. He grinned as he pulled Jaehwan down beside him, laying on his back and resting his head on Jaehwans lap. Jaehwan combed his fingers through his princes hair, black as ravens wings and soft as spider silk. “I do _no_ such thing.”

Sanghyuk laughed quietly, lines of worry smoothing off his handsome face and leaving him looking almost painfully young. He was right though, Jaehwan was _always_ listening. Always watching. Ready to steal delicious tidbits of information and hide them away. His own personal store of ammunition. 

There was an empty moment between them, Sanghyuks brow creasing the way it did when he was deep in thought. Jaehwan watched him, silent, easily able to guess the path his princes mind was currently following. 

“Jaehwan, do you think I should marry?”

The elder was quiet for a moment longer, letting the question hang in the air between them as he framed his answer. Careful now. 

“You are the crown prince and can do as you like,” he replied, meeting Sanghyuk’s eyes upside down. “But I have told you before, your highness, I will not play second to anyone where your affection is concerned. I do not presume to dictate your actions, your highness, but if you choose to marry, I will retire to the country and not return.”

This was always the difficult part, his prince would become frustrated and- 

“I could _order_ you to stay,” Sanghyuk snapped, his voice dropping an octave. He glared up at Jaehwan as the elder nodded. Solemn. 

“You could, your highness. You could leash me to your side like a dog and take me against my will whenever the mood struck you. Or you could lock me in a cell for the rest of my life, or bid me stand unmoving on a pedestal so you can look at me whenever you like. You are the crown prince, the sole air to the throne of Antigoney, and I am entirely at your mercy.”

Sanghyuk winced. Jaehwan soothed the furrows from his high brow with the pads of his fingers, rubbing Sanghyuks temples until his prince finally relented. Catching Jaehwans wrist. 

“You know I wouldn’t,” he replied, turning and hiding his face against Jaehwans stomach.

“I know.”

“You wouldn't _really_ leave me.” Jaehwan sighed. He poked the hollow of his princes cheek, leaning back against the trunk.

“Not unless you left me first.”

Sanghyuk sat up with no warning, kneeling in the grass beside him and cupping Jaehwans face in his hands. Jaehwan smiled softly. 

“I would _never.”_

“I know.”

Warm hands slipped about his waist as Sanghyuk sought his mouth. Pressing there for barely a breath before leaving a trail of gentle kisses along his jaw and down his neck. Open mouth lingering on Jaehwans throat. A hand found its way between the folds of Jaehwans robes and he sighed, goosebumps erupting across his skin.

He knew Sanghyuk’s mind. Knew that if he didn’t stop this now, his prince would peel the clothes from his body and beg for him right there in the shade of the oak tree and that couldn’t happen. Small public displays of affection were one thing, but rutting in the grass like dogs in heat was another thing entirely. 

“Do you wish to re-return to the palace, your highness?” Jaehwan asked, stuttering as Sanghyuks fingers tripped lower over his stomach. Lips pressed to his shoulder, the back of his neck, and then his prince mercifully relented. Eyes glazed and out of focus when he pulled away. Panting slightly. 

Jaehwan matched him, leaning forwards and slinging his arms around his princes neck. Nuzzling behind Sanghyuks ear as he purred, “Do you wish for privacy?” The prince stood and pulled Jaehwan to his feet without another word, fairly carrying the giggling Jaehwan back up the palace steps. 

If someone had been watching, they most likely would have thought the pair were sickeningly in love. Or maybe, they would have seen a challenge. A level to beat.

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

“Jaehwan, his highness requests your presence.”

“Will you _ever_ learn to knock?!” Jaehwan snapped, peeking out from behind his dressing screen and glaring at Wonshik with all the danger he could muster. “I’m almost ready, a moment.”

Jaehwan finished wrapping himself in garnet colored chiffon, the flowing black trousers he had on beneath leaving little to the imagination. His robes fell all the way to the floor and were so thin and sheer they may as well not have been there at all. Simply serving to tint his bare chest and arms a deep red. He looked himself up and down in his large mirror, making sure the ruby choker around his throat was centered, checking that the rouge on his lips hadn’t smudged, and moved out into the open. 

“Is he ready?” Jaehwan asked, stepping into his new pair of black sandals, specially made for this evening's festivities. “No, he wanted to see you first to make sure your outfits matched.”

“And you couldn’t have simply reminded him that I’m wearing red? You _are_ his manservant, I believe you accompanied us to the fittings?” Jaehwan huffed, sparing a moment to straighten his hair before sweeping from his bedchamber. Wonshik followed after him, annoyance rolling from the man in waves. “I don’t pay attention to what you wear as I’m sure you are aware.”

Jaehwan decided not to respond. He and Wonshik got along well enough, they both cared about Sanghyuk and wanted him to be happy, but the prince was their _only_ common interest. If it wasn’t for their shared concern for Sanghyuks well-being, the two men would probably never have spoken. 

The princes rooms were on the other side of the palace but on the same floor, so the journey only took roughly a minute. Jaehwan waited, letting Wonshik open the door for him as was proper, before stepping lightly into Sanghyuks foyer. 

“Finally! I thought you’d never arrive!”

Jaehwan followed the sound of his princes voice and entered the receiving chamber, finding Sanghyuk staring at himself in a floor to ceiling mirror. He was a sight to behold, for sure, black trousers and a crimson jacket that was decidedly more opaque that Jaehwans. His inky hair combed up off his forehead, silver crown matching his silver ring and the ceremonial sword sheathed at his hip.

Sanghyuk spun around and held out a hand, watching the elder bow before crossing to him. The princes eyes lingered on his chest, a small smile spreading across his face. “Did you- love did you _rouge_ your nipples?” he asked, voice cracking slightly on the final word. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, your highness,” Jaehwan replied, shrugging one shoulder in a noncommittal gesture. He _had_ rouged them, though. It was the fashion for the women of court who wore low-cut dresses, why shouldn’t he? His clothing was more revealing than anything those women could dream of wearing, might as well look as flushed and lovely and enticing as possible.

Sanghyuk chuckled and swept the elder up in a hug, dislodging his crown in the process and spinning Jaehwan in a circle. “Your highness, it’s time,” Wonshik called from over by the door. 

“It will be fun, you’ll see. I won’t leave your side,” Jaehwan murmured, pecking his princes cheek and wiping away the color that lingered there afterwards. Sanghyuk kissed him back properly, his mouth coming away decidedly redder than it had been before. “You’d better _not.”_

Jaehwan put his lips to Sanghyuk’s ear, whispering too softly for the guards outside and Wonshik to hear. “Always, puppy. Happy nameday.” The secret nickname he had for his prince that never failed to make Sanghyuk smile. Jaehwan used it sparingly and _never_ in public. Didn’t want to give others the impression that he was as close to Sanghyuk as he was. Didn’t want to appear overly familiar. 

The two of them left the princes rooms after a few more stolen kisses and Sanghyuk’s crown had been put back in place. They glided through the halls and swirled down the main staircase like a scarlet breeze, Jaehwan on Sanghyuk’s arm and Wonshik plus Sanghyuk’s personal guard trailing close behind. It was the kind of display only allowed for functions such as this, when Jaehwan was formally accompanying the prince as his guest rather than just his servant. 

When they reached the entrance to the ballroom, all the tinkling chatter and laughter died away. Music slowing until it stopped completely. The herald tapped his staff on the floor as if the entire rooms attention wasn’t already on them. “His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Sanghyuk of Antigoney, and his companion, Jaehwan of Virisey.”

The room erupted in applause as the noble guests bowed, Sanghyuk resting a hand on the elders forearm apparently for his own comfort. The king and queen were already seated at the high table but it would be expected for Sanghyuk to mingle, exchange pleasantries no matter how boring and bland the nobles were. 

Jaehwan accepted a glass of wine from a passing servant and sipped it demurely, watching his prince empty one in a single gulp before handing it back and taking a fresh glass. “Deep breaths, your highness. No need to be anxious with-”

The herald tapped the ground again, distracting Jaehwan mid sentence. “Lord Hongbin of Atria.”

Jaehwan's head whipped around, eyes fixed on the man standing in the door to the entry hall. All in black, chestnut hair hanging in his eyes, dimples flashing and a face that was gods damned _angelic._ But Jaehwan knew better. 

“Love,” Sanghyuk murmured, reaching up to tug at the ruby on Jaehwan’s earlobe. 

“What, in the _seven hells,_ is he doing here?”

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I like writing soap operas  
sue me

Jaehwan squinted at the unwelcome specter over the rim of his wind glass with poorly disguised suspicion. This boy- _ Hongbin, _was not supposed to be there. Had no place in this palace and absolutely no right to the title he’d been introduced with. The strangeness of the situation set Jaehwans teeth on edge. 

“Love... it’s my _ nameday! _ Why aren’t you being fun?”

Sanghyuks arms tightened around Jaehwan’s middle but the elder barely flinched. The prince whining in his ear had been demoted second priority just then. 

“You are having plenty of fun, your highness,” the elder murmured. He reached a hand around and began idly fiddling with his princes hair. They were seated at a low table in the corner of the ballroom, Jaehwan on Sanghyuks lap as the prince laughed and drank with two of his noble friends. Prince Hakyeon and Lord Taekwoon from the kingdom to the east, inseparable, genuine, and part of the small group of people that both Jaehwan and Sanghyuk _ actually _ liked. 

“Is it your friend? Is that why you’re so tense?”

“What friend?” Jaehwan asked, distracted. Hongbin was speaking to the king and queen, flashing that wide, blinding smile and Jaehwan wanted to throw up. 

“That lord you cursed about earlier.”

“I don’t know who you mean, your highness.”

Sanghyuk huffed, dotting insistent kisses against Jaehwans cheek. Making his request for attention _ impossible _ to ignore. The elder shifted his weight and pressed his mouth to his princes forehead to try and appease him for a moment at least. Sanghyuk blinked at him, a dopey smile on his face and Jaehwan dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose for good measure. 

“This is, in all honesty, a revolting spectacle to watch,” Taekwoon said from Sanghyuks right, earning a sharp slap to the shoulder from Hakyeon. “I think it’s romantic.”

“It _ is _ romantic,” Sanghyuk hummed, nuzzling against the side of Jaehwan’s jaw.

“You’re drunk,” Jaehwan said quietly. He curled a hand at the nape of his princes neck. Tugging a bit. Putting space between them was challenging in such a position but Jaehwan at least needed to try.

“Drunk on love.”

“Drunk on _ wine.” _

“It’s my nameday, im allowed!”

Fondness bloomed in Jaehwans chest, fuzzy and warm, at the earnest tone of Sanghyuks voice. “You’re the crown prince, you’re always allowed. But let’s get you a glass of water, hm?” He waved Wonshik over and relayed his request, letting his prince nearly strangle him with his octopus hugs until the manservant returned. Jaehwan held the glass to Sanghyuks mouth, satisfied as the younger gulped it down. 

“You’ll thank me tomorrow, your highness,” Jaehwan said, resuming his hair petting as he turned to look around the room. Searching for Hongbin. 

“I thank you _now._ And all the time. You take such good care of me, love.”

“You’re still drunk, your highness.” Jaehwan tried injecting his tone with a note of firmness and mostly failed. Sanghyuk needed to be subdued before he got too handsy, they were still in public and the eyes of the entire court were on them. The fact that today was Sanghyuks nameday didn’t make him groping Jaehwan any more appropriate. 

There he was, the back of his broad shoulders barely visible leaving the ballroom through one of the side doors. If Jaehwan could just-

“You’re doing it again.”

“Pardon, your highness?”

“Honestly, what’s the matter? You’re being strange.”

Jaehwan turned back around and flashed his prince the cutest pout he could. “I’m not feeling very well. You know I have a sensitive stomach, your highness, maybe a bit too much wine.”

“You’ve barely had any.”

“Still, your highness, I need to breathe fresh air for a moment, I’ll come right back.” The arm Sanghyuk had around his waist tightened when Jaehwan tried to stand up, securing him firmly in place. “You _ promised _ you wouldn’t leave my side.”

“I don’t want to be sick on your new jacket, let me up please.” 

Sanghyuk frowned. 

“My prince...” Jaehwan prompted, stopping himself from trying to wiggle free. “Let him leave, I have to talk to you about something private anyway,” Hakyeon said with a confidential smile. Sanghyuks frown deepened, but he untangled himself from the folds of Jaehwans robes with noticeable reluctance. 

With a bow for Sanghyuk and suspicious side-eye for Hakyeon, Jaehwan left to follow Hongbin. He swept his robes around himself, straightening his shoulders and lifting his chin as he glided away. A veritable flock of young ladies descended on his prince the moment Jaehwan retreated but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Hongbin was there. Hongbin was there and he was openly lying and he was going to fuck up Jaehwans plans, Jaehwan just _ knew _ it. 

Jaehwan hastened from the ballroom as fast as he could without looking suspicious. The exit Hongbin had chosen lead into a hallway that was mercifully free of guards and the concubine dropped all pretense of looking regal. His hands balled into fists, mask of refinement falling from him like a veil. There he was. Just _ standing _ there, leaning against a tapestry-covered wall like he owned the damn place and Jaehwan’s temper spiked. 

“So it _ is _ you!” 

“What the fuck are you doing here, and why are you acting the part of a nobel?!” Jaehwan hissed, keeping his voice low for the benefit of the guests beyond. Being overheard was the last thing he wanted. He moved viper quick, palms flat to Hongbin’s chest, shoving the man against the wall as hard as he could. 

“First, may I just say that you look absolutely ridiculous?”

“No! You may not! Not while you’re preening in what is no doubt _ stolen _ finery! Why aren't you still in the shithole town where I left you?!”

Hongbin grinned, chestnut hair falling over his eyes like rippling curtains of silk. “You didn’t _ really _ expect me to stay there and rot by myself after you left, did you?”

Jaehwan’s eyes narrowed to knife cuts. “Don’t play games. Why were you introduced as a lord? You’re no more noble born than I am,” he asked, searching his old friends face for anything, any hint of what his motives might be, but Hongbin was inscrutable as ever. 

“I _ may _ have borrowed the title from a forign noble that has never paid a visit to our court. He didn’t need it and I could put it to better use.”

_ “Our _ nothing! Get out, go home before you get caught doing whatever idiotic thing it is you’re planning!”

“Or what?”

Jaehwan bristled. He and Hongbin were of a height, but his flat sandals and transparent clothing weren’t doing him any favors in the intimidation department. The best he could do was push his old friend harder. “I am the crown prince’s concubine, Hongbin. Sanghyuk will ban you from court if I ask him too, stolen title or no.”

“Oh, I know your place here, it’s a bit hard to miss him dragging you all over the palace like a ragdoll and dressing you up in absurd clothing. Rumors about you’ve spread all the way home, you know. I didn’t actually believe them when I heard them.”

Jaehwan stopped himself from asking what rumors Hongbin was referring too. He’d never heard anything other than snippets of court gossip about himself, and the court gossiped about everyone. “If you knew I was here, why did you come?! Did you think I wouldn’t tell Sanghyuk who you really are?”

Animal cunning twinkled in Hongbin’s eyes and he flashed a smile that Jaehwan immediately disliked. “Honestly, it wouldn’t matter if you did. Who would believe the word of the prince’s low-born lapdog over that of a blooded nobleman?”

“You _ aren’t _ a nobleman! Are you going to kill the king or something equally awful?”

“You lack imagination, dear brother.” 

“Oh, be a darling and fuck right off,” Jaehwan spat, hands dropping to his sides as he took several very fast steps backwards. “You ceased being a brother to me years ago, and you may embarrass yourself with your mad antics but you will _ not _ embarrass me. I want nothing to do with you. Go home.” 

Jaehwan suddenly felt sick to his stomach and he turned to leave, but his old friend caught his wrist. “Don’t,” he said, voice almost painfully tired.

“You know why I’m here, Hwannie.”

And _ of course _ Jaehwan did. It had been their plan since they were, what, seven years old? But that plan had gone up in flames along with most everything else in Jaehwan’s life and, like his home, like Hongbin, he’d left that plan behind. “I wish I didn’t.”

“And why would that be?”

“Because you are a liability to everything and everyone around you, Bin. You always take things too far-”

The slap connected with Jaehwan’s cheek like a whip crack. Jaehwan faltered, staggering back from the blow, but he had the blade free from the sole of his sandel and pressed to Hongbin’s throat a heartbeat later. “Do not touch me again, bastard,” he hissed, but his old friend didn’t even flinch. 

“That’s a new trick, I had no idea you knew how to use a blade. My sweet little Hwannie would never-”

“I’m not your sweet-”

Hongbin slapped the blade out of Jaehwan grip, sending it sliding away across the marble floor. “It was supposed to be _ me, _ not you. You stole my plan and left me for dead and now I’ve come to take it back. All of it. Don’t delude yourself into believing you’re anything more than country trash wrapped in fine silk.”

“Go and wash your overambitious mouth out with vinegar and lye,” Jaehwan replied, voice rising of its own accord, words burning in his chest. This all should have been put to rest, _ had _ been put to rest, years ago. Like Jaehwan’s old life had come back to haunt him. He wriggled free of his old friend’s admittedly loose grip. “If I see you do even _ one _ suspisious thing, I’ll tell Sanghyuk.”

Jaehwan pressed a hand to his stinging cheek and he backed away. He didn’t retrieve his knife, didn’t want to stay in that hallway a second longer. What he needed to do was get up to his rooms and powder away the handprint that was no doubt burning on his face, and then return to the ballroom. 

There was a servant staircase only yards away, concealed behind a tapestry of a knight bearing a golden chalice, woven over a field of blue and Jaehwan made a beeline for it. The worst part of all this wasn’t getting slapped. If Jaehwan was honest, he always kind of liked getting slapped. No, it was the fact that every single word his old friend had spoken was true. Everything could be taken from him, his position, his lifestyle, his home here in the palace. He could lose everything in a heartbeat. Everything he’d worked so hard to gain. And if there was anyone capable of ruining his life, it was Hongbin. 

As he slipped behind the tapestry and set foot on the staircase, Jaehwan heard his old friend call, a smile in his voice, “I’m not the one you should be keeping an eye on, Hwannie.”

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

“Love?”

Jaehwan took a deep, steadying breath. He hadn’t been able to face returning to the ball after the altercation. Hadn’t been able to go sit at his princes side like nothing was wrong. So stricken with anger and frustration was he that Jaehwan had simply sat at his dressing table and pressed a cool cloth to his cheek until all the red had been soothed away, and then gotten directly into bed.

But his duties had found him as he knew they would, so Jaehwan slid from between his sheets with the softest of groans. He slipped on a dressing gown to stave off the evening chill, lifted his lit taper, and walked out into his sitting room. 

Sanghyuk stood in the doorway, arms crossed and appearing significantly more sober he had been when than when the elder had left him. Jaehwan deliberated whether he should approach or not. Wonshik was there, looking equally unhappy, as well as two of his princes guards. On balance, Jaehwan thought it more sensible to stay put. 

“My prince,” he said, bowing low, “I’m sorry I did not return. An awful headache.”

“And how are you feeling now?”

“Much better, your highness.”

Silence spread through the room like noxious gas. Something was wrong. 

“Leave us,” Sanghyuk snapped, Jaehwan keeping his eyes fixed on the floor, face carefully blank as the others vacated his rooms. “You are of a very delicate constitution if a little wine sends you to bed with a headache and an upset stomach.”

Jaehwan hummed in ascent. “Effects of the fire when I was a child, your highness. Inhaling all the smoke left me unwell. I’ve told you about it.”

“It doesn’t usually affect you this much.”

“Perhaps the crowd... or the heat. All is well now, it matters not.”

Slowly, too slowly, his prince crossed the room. Jaehwan stayed still. “I’m sorry you were sick, love. But I’m glad you’re better.” Sanghyuk tilted Jaehwan’s head up with a finger, thumb resting against the elders chin as he turned Jaehwan’s face from side to side. Inspecting him. For a heartstopping moment, Jaehwan worried that the handprint still lingered, but when his prince didn’t remark upon anything, he relaxed. 

Sanghyuk took the candle from him and set it on the side table, sweeping Jaehwan up in a hug. The elder kissed his princes cheek. Slung his arms around his princes neck. Pinched his prince’s earlobe. Real affection bubbled in the pit of Jaehwan’s stomach as Sanghyuk’s lips found his own. His prince was as much Jaehwan’s safe place as Jaehwan was his. Sanghyuk was his protector, his lover, his entire reason for being where he was and Jaehwan would trade the man in his arms for nothing. If Hongbin was going to try and steal the prince as Jaehwan assumed, Jaehwan wouldn’t let Sanghyuk go without a fight.

“Are you in the mood, love? It _ is _ still my nameday after all,” Sanghyuk asked, gently dragging his hand through Jaehwans fringe. But the smile on his face didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“For you, my prince? Always.”

Sanghyuk kissed him deeply, one large hand on either side of Jaehwans cheeks and the elder relaxed into it immediately. At least if his prince wanted him, he wasn’t as angry as Jaehwan first thought. Sanghyuk sending Jaehwan back to bed without touching him would have been much more alarming.   
  


His prince tore the clothes off his body like he’d never need to wear them again. In all honesty, Jaehwan wouldn’t, but the forcefulness still rang false. Abnormal. The dressing gown dropped from his shoulders to pool around his feet, closely followed by his silken sleepwear. Sanghyuk dragged him across the room, pushing him down atop the coverlet of Jaehwan’s bed with a huff. Jaehwan moved to sit up, to tuck his legs underneath himself but his prince was on him before he had the chance. 

Sanghyuk dropped down beside Jaehwan and pulled the elder close, arms circling his waist, kissing him hard, licking into his mouth. Jaehwan could taste the barest hint of honey wine that lingered on his tongue. He kissed his prince back, nibbling on his bottom lip, but that didn’t seem to be what Sanghyuk wanted.

The next moment Jaehwan was being pushed away, lay flat on his stomach as his legs were unfurled. His prince’s strong hands roamed his bare skin, his mouth leaving a trail of burning heat down his inner thigh, up the back of his knee. 

Jaehwan gasped at the wetness, his prince’s tongue flicking against his rim with no warning. Grabbing fistfuls of his flesh and spreading them apart like he was trying to tear Jaehwan in two. 

“Your highness,” he breathed, fisting the bed sheets as Sanghyuk continued to lap at him, pressing a finger into him inch by punishing inch. “Quiet,” his lord snapped. One of his large hands flat on the small of Jaehwans back as he stretched the elder open. 

Jaehwan bit his lip, unaccustomed to the roughness of it but not displeased in the slightest. He buried his face in the covers, trying his best to keep his moans to an absolute minimum. He wouldn’t push back the way he normally did. Wouldn’t try and take control of the situation the way he normally did. Sanghyuk was clearly in a mood of some kind and at the moment, and Jaehwan didn’t think it wise to test the boundaries of his patience. 

He heard the sound of rustling fabric as his prince’s touch left him and dared to glance back. Sanghyuk was watching him, eyes alight with frenzied lust, unbuttoning his trousers under which the outline of his hardened length was clearly visible. Jaehwan averted his gaze at once. 

“Do you love me, Jaehwan?” Sanghyuk asked, his voice almost disinterested as he moved about the room. Jaehwan stayed perfectly motionless.

“Yes,” the elder replied, voice soft. Tone measured. He did love Sanghyuk. His love wasn’t something that had ever been questioned before. 

“Are you sure?”

Jaehwan started as warm oil dribbled onto his skin. He could feel his prince’s lingering stare on the back of his head. Could feel his princes fingers curling inside him. Could feel the muscles of his own stomach tensing in anticipation. “Of course, my p-prince.”

Sanghyuk knotted a hand in Jaehwan’s hair, his fingers replace by his cock and Jaehwan bit back a whimper. His prince pushing into him with that same new, _ lovely _ roughness. The elders brow creased, staring at the floral pattern embroidered on his coverlet through watery eyes. It was always such a stretch when Jaehwan didn’t set the pace and he certainly wasn’t setting anything just then. 

“Then, love, may I ask,” his prince said, whispering with something close to fervor as he began fucking Jaehwan into the mattress with long, smooth repetition. 

“Who...”

A sharp thrust.

“Is...”

Another. 

“He?” 

Jaehwan froze, going entirely tensing at the question. His body betrayed his fear and his prince’s grip on his hair tightened considerably. “Who?” he tried, chest heaving as he attempted to breathe.

“The man you followed when you left the ball.”

“I don’t know what you-”

Sanghyuk hissed, rolling Jaehwan onto his back and pushing in to the hilt. “At least look me in the eye when you lie to me,” he breathed, catching Jaehwan’s left wrist in an iron grip and trapping it above his head. Jaehwan’s lashes fluttered. He was beginning to feel a bit disoriented from the pleasure burbling up from the pit of his stomach, blinding and white hot.

His prince was searching his face for some kind of guilt, the air around them getting too thin for Jaehwan to breathe. “He is no one.”

“He _ slapped _ you,” Sanghyuk spat, a hand coming up to cup Jaehwan’s cheek in a movement that was incongruously gentle. “I followed to see if you needed anything and I saw it. I am of half a mind to have him executed even if you refuse to tell me who he is. Nobody lays hands on you but me, _nobody.”_

And wouldn’t _ that _ solve all Jaehwan’s problems. But even if Hongbin died now, it wouldn’t fix this, this sudden distrust in him that his prince was expressing. It was a dynamic that made Jaehwan intensely uncomfortable and ne needed to remedy it at once.

“Do I not give you enough attention, love? Do you feel so neglected that secret trysts are required to feed your appetite?”

The _ wound _ in that question... Jaehwan wrapped his legs around Sanghyuk’s waist, his free arm around Sanghyuk’s neck, holding him close as he moaned his princes name. “Sanghyuk- puppy, I am no one, belong to no one, own nuh-nothing in this world but your heart.”

His breaths were coming short, barely able to suck in any oxygen as his prince melted against him. Reassured by Jaehwans words and clearly craving more. His movement became gentler as Jaehwan rolled his hips down to meet his thrusts, passionate rather than rough. The cold facade Sanghyuk had been so valiantly trying to maintain falling away.

“My prince, you are- are all to me. The star my world revolves around. There are no trysts for me, no secret paramores, only my puppy. I am your servant and will always be.”

He dragged the tips of his fingers down the overheated skin of his princes back, panting into Sanghyuk’s mouth as the pleasure inside him began to crest. He let his control go, knowing that Sanghyuk wanted him to feel it. Wanted him to drown in it. 

“Then... tell me,” his prince murmured, swallowing Jaehwan’s whines. “Who is he?”

Jaehwan didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to tell. He’d have nothing to use to his advantage if he let the secret go. But Sanghyuk already knew too much, he’d need to tell the rest if his prince’s affections were to be secured. 

“He’s,” Jaehwan breathed, head falling back as his pleasure burned him up, black stars bursting behind his eyes, Sanghyuk pulsing inside him and hands on his waist, “My brother.”

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

_ “You need to eat more.” _

_ Hongbin rolled over on his bedroom floor and poked Jaehwan in the stomach. Jaehwan squeaked, catching his best friend in a hug, ignoring Hongbin’s flailing limbs and shrieks of protest. “I eat what my parents give me,” he replied, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel the sharp jut of Hongbin’s ribs. _

_ Everyone in their town was thin. Food was expensive. It didn’t matter that both boys families lived on farms, they didn’t own them. They worked for their lord, tended the land for him and were allowed to live on his property in return. It was a rotten deal, Jaehwan and Hongbin agreed on that fact. When they were older, when they were grownups, the boys had agreed to buy their own farm. Move their families to it, work for themselves, and most importantly, eat as much food as they liked. _

_ “Do you want your nameday present? I made it special for you and I’m going to have to go home soon,” Jaehwan said, pretending to take a bite out of his best friends dimpled cheek. _

_ Hongbin had given up and submitted to the hug but he nodded excitedly at the sound of the word ‘present’. Jaehwan smiled, digging around in his pocket and pulling out the gift. It was a river stone, perfectly smooth and round and flat, upon which Jaehwan had painted a sunflower in bloom. He’d saved his meager pocket money for three months to buy the paints themselves and had worked hard to make the prettiest picture he could. He wanted his best friend to have the best present. It was what Hongbin deserved. _

_ “Here you go, Hongbinie! Happy seventh nameday!” Jaehwan exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he passed it over. Hongbin took it, cradling the stone in both hands like it was a diamond. His big eyes were as wide as empty dinner plates. _

_ “Where did you get this?” _

_ “I made it. Just for you.” _

_ “But-“ Hongbin worried his lip between his teeth. “But how did you get paints?” _

_ “I saved... my pocket money, I saved it. Do you not like it?” _

_ Jaehwan felt his heart sink as Hongbin’s fingers curled around the rock. His puppy brown gaze fixed on Jaehwan with that steal the elder hadn’t figured out how to copy yet. “I love it Hwannie, but- next time don’t spend your pocket money on me. Use it to buy a treat to eat. Knowing your tummy is full will make me just as happy as getting a present.” _

_ Studying his best friends face, Jaehwan sat there, enthralled. Hongbin was so much smarter than he was. All the townspeople said so. They called him 'little genius', smiling when he talked to them the way a grownup would. Everyone said he was destined for great things and Jaehwan agreed. The things his best friend said confused him sometimes but Jaehwan loved him anyway, the little brother he never had. _

_ Hongbin leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Jaehwans cheek. “Thank you,” he repeated, smacking a sloppy kiss on Jaehwans other cheek for good measure before getting to his feet. Jaehwans heart swelled with happiness. His best friends shows of love were few and far between, and while Jaehwan knew Hongbin loved him, it was nice for him to prove it every now and then. _

_ “Come look at what I found,” he said, setting the rock on his window sill and plopping down on top of his narrow bed. Jaehwan perked up at that. Something new. Novelties were- well a novelty for him and even the smallest thing could pique his curiosity. _

_ He got to his feet and wobbled over to flop onto the bed, lying flat on his stomach like a starfish with his head on his best friends knee. But, when he looked at what his best friend was holding, Jaehwan sat up. _

_ “Binnie those are matches, we aren’t allowed to play with those,” he said, eyes going wide. _

_ “But I want to see how they work. I’m seven now, I’m old enough.” _

_ Jaehwan was seven too, but he didn’t think he was old enough. He’d offered to light the candles at his house once so his mother could stay in bed, and she’d taken them away and told him he wasn’t allowed to go near them. But maybe Hongbin was allowed. His parents weren’t as strict and Hongbin was so smart. Still, something like fear began to twist in the pit of Jaehwans stomach. _

_ “I know you’re seven, that’s why I got you a nameday present but maybe we shouldn’t...” _

_ Hongbin flipped the little book open with his little fingers and tore out a match. “I want to see if I can make it work. It would be so cool.” _

_ Jaehwan bit his lip, wincing as his best friend swiped it across the rough strip. Nothing happened. “Maybe you can’t do it. Maybe the matches know you’re too little still so they won’t turn on?” _

_ Hongbin struck another one, glaring at the little stick when it too refused to light. “Matches don’t have brains. You try,” he replied, pushing the little book into Jaehwans hand. Jaehwan pushed them back. “I don’t want too! I’m not allowed!” _

_ “Don’t be boring! You’re being a scaredy cat,” his best friend replied harshly, ignoring Jaehwans pout and tearing out a third match. _

_ “Binnie, don’t! I’m scared, stop!” Jaehwan squeaked, trying to grab Hongbin’s hand just as the match finally lit. _

_ Jaehwan yelped and scooted backward. He watched in terror as his best friend hissed, the flame licking at his fingers and dropped it on his bed. The little flame burst, devouring the wool blanket with astonishing speed and Jaehwan screamed. He scrambled off the bed and made to run to the door but Hongbin was just standing there, staring at the fire like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The very same way he’d looked at Jaehwans nameday present. _

_ “Hongbinnie!” he screamed, reminding himself that he wasn’t a scaredy cat and running back over to his best friend. Thick black smoke began to billow, slipping into Jaehwans lungs like tar and choking him with every breath he took. His eyes stung from the smoke and from his tears as he tried to drag his best friend away but Hongbin wouldn't move. _

_ “Come on! We have to-“ Jaehwan coughed, heat scratching at the inside of his throat, “Go! Come on Binnie, please!” _

_ The fire had crawled across the bed like a nightmare, it’s red fingers dancing up along the walls and floor, and his best friend seemed to return to himself. He grabbed Jaehwans hand and turned to the door but with a terrifying pop... it ignited. A bright crackling horror blocking their escape. _

_ “Window,” Hongbin shouted, lifting the neck of Jaehwans shirt and pressing it to the elders mouth. He did the same with his own, pocketed his present, and shoved the window open. _

_ Jaehwan's eyes burned, lungs ached, heart racing as they tumbled out into the fresh air and onto the grass below the first-floor window. It was a dry day, late September always was, and- Jaehwan couldn't think that thought to completion, so befuddled was he by fear and pain. Hongbin dragged him to his feet and they stumbled away from the burning house on shaky legs. _

_ His friend wasn’t scared, or he didn’t look scared. His cherub face was totally empty as he pulled Jaehwan into the field that separated their homes. He wouldn’t stop, not even when the elder shouted that they had to go back for his parents who’d been taking a rest upstairs. _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

“Adopted brother,” Jaehwan said quietly, looking at himself sideways in his mirror. He placed a delicate hand on his stomach, thinking back to how he’d looked before he came to the palace. Both he and Hongbin had been gutter thin and Jaehwan had worked hard to achieve this body. To turn himself soft and supple instead of skin and bones. Seeing the amount of food that went to waste here never failed to make him a bit sick, thinking of all the hungry children that could be fed in the capital alone. Jaehwan had vowed to himself that he would _ never _ go hungry again. 

Over on the bed, Sanghyuk coughed lightly. Jaehwan still reveled at the feeling of his princes eyes on his body, even after all this time. Knowing that Sanghyuk was looking at him made his throat go the slightest bit dry. “So... not your _ true _ brother?”

“No. My parents took him in when his perished in a fire. We were neighbors and our family’s were very close so it was only natural,” Jaehwan replied, turning and pacing away from the mirror. He got up on the foot of the bed and crawled to his prince on all fours, making sure to let his dressing gown slip off his shoulder as he did so. Jaehwan didn’t want to talk about this anymore. 

Sanghyuk looked at Jaehwan, brows knitting together as the elder straddled his lap. “But... he’s a noble? You aren’t so why would-“

“He isn’t, he’s lying. Just don’t pay attention to him, your highness, and he’ll go away.” Jaehwan normally would never interrupt his prince mid sentence, but drastic times and all. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Sanghyuks. Wanting to drink him down like the finest liquor money could buy. Wanting to choke on him the way he had choked on that gods damned smoke. 

The kiss he got in return was a distracted one and Jaehwan sighed inwardly. He pulled back a few inches, noting the distant look on his princes face before moving lower, mouthing at the base of his throat. Tongue tracing the scalding line of his pulse. Sucking gently. 

“I don’t understand why he would come here and lie, knowing you’d expose him.”

Jaehwan nipped at Sanghyuks adam’s apple, trying to tune him out. 

“Unless...”

“Unless what, puppy?” the elder murmured, forming the words against the underside of Sanghyuks jaw. He twirled his princes dark hair between his fingers and tugged a little. Trying to get Sanghyuk to focus on him instead of whatever he was thinking about. Trying to-

“Unless he thought you _ wouldn’t.” _

It took a moment for the words to process. Jaehwan went very still, frozen a hairsbreadth from his princes skin. Muscles aching slightly from holding himself up, blonde hair falling into his eyes. 

“Is that what he thought? That you wouldn’t tell me? Because of some misplaced sense of loyalty?” 

Jaehwan lifted his head slowly, wiping any and all emotion off his face. “Of course not, your highness. He knew I’d tell you. I asked him why he came if he knew that I’d tell you but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer.”

Sanghyuk frowned at him. His prince had frowned way to much in the past twenty four hours. It wasn’t good for him. “Don’t do that puppy, you’ll get wrinkles,” Jaehwan said, smoothing away the lines on Sanghyuks forehead with the pads of his fingers. 

“But... but you _ weren’t _ going to tell me. I had to quite literally fuck the answers out of you. _ Would _ you have? If I hadn’t followed, hadn’t asked, would you have kept quiet?” the prince asked, catching Jaehwans wrists and gently lowering them to his chest. 

The elder swallowed harder than he would have liked. “Yes, if he’d done anything bad or threatened to do anything bad I would have told you at once and without hesitation, your highness.”

“He _ did _ slap you... that’s something bad. And you’re a royal concubine! He could be executed for such a thing.” 

“I would have told you, there’s no reason to think otherwise, your highness. Now please, kiss me,” Jaehwan replied, moving his princes hands so they settled on his hips. “No, no I wish to speak to him.”

Jaehwan- well he didn’t exactly _ gasp, _ but his breathing stuttered in a way that was all too noticeable. “There’s no need for that, your highness, really. Just stay here with me and we can sleep.”

This _ wasn’t _ possible. How did Hongbin simply breathing the same air turn everything rotten?! He hadn’t needed to talk to Sanghyuk, hadn’t needed to work for an audience with the prince or try and get his attention. He just showed up. Just showed up and was about to get what it took Jaehwan an entire year to get. 

Was that why he lied about his identity? Because he knew Jaehwan would approach him about it? Did he just use Jaehwan like a pawn to get Sanghyuks attention? Seven hells, Hongbin was still too smart for his own good. 

Sanghyuk tried to extricate himself from Jaehwan but the other clung to him with all his strength. “Please, my prince, I beg you not to engage with him.”

“Why are you so against it?” 

“Because he is part of my past and the past is done. I have not seen him in years and I want nothing to do with him. I don’t want you to have anything to do with him. Just leave it be, please.”

Sanghyuk clicked his tongue, hugging Jaehwan against him as he stood. “It’s alright love. You can come with me if you’d like. I just want to ask what he’s doing in my palace under a false title, but I should speak to him regardless.”

“Why? There is no need-“

“He’s the adopted brother of my beloved, no?”

Jaehwan nodded, jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth might break. 

“The only family you have? You told me your parents passed?”

Jaehwan nodded again. 

“Well then,” Sanghyuk sighed, pressing a lingering kiss to Jaehwans forehead, “You are acquainted with my family. And if I am to marry you as I wish to, I should be acquainted with your family as well.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Please inform the visiting lord from Atria that I'd like to speak with him at once,” Sanghyuk said, aiming for the most princely tone he could manage and actually meeting the mark for once. 

He and Jaehwan had dressed, his lover with a lot more ceremony than he did but was just how Jaehwan was, and they were back in Sanghyuks chambers. Jaehwan insisted on moving rooms. He had outright _ refused _ to let his brother into his own when Sanghyuk had suggested it. Like he was afraid. 

His lover had every reason to be afraid, Sanghyuk mused, looking over to where Jaehwan was seated on his divan. Pin straight and entirely motionless. Staring at the chamber door through wide, unblinking eyes. This reaction hadn’t been what Sanghyuk expected when he’d decided to ask his lover about the whole thing. About why a stranger would make him curse, why he’d followed a stranger, why he’d then pulled a knife on that same stranger and then just up and disappeared. 

Jaehwan was normally the more calm and reserved person when they were in public. He never initiated displays of affection, ever, and would always try to put a boundary between them if Sanghyuk got too touchy. The prince understood why he did so. Being on the receiving end of too much scrutiny could lead to a warped public view. Make the court think he was influencing Sanghyuk or trying to manipulate him in some way. But Sanghyuk knew better. 

“Love, it’s going to be fine, there’s no need to be so worried,” the prince said, moving to stand behind the divan. He rested his hands on Jaehwan’s shoulders and attempted to rub away the mass of tension he found there. Jaehwan shuddered against his touch, circling the prince’s wrist with his long, nimble fingers. “You do not know him. Everything is a calculation, everything is planned, it’s all just-”

Jaehwan swallowed audibly, shaking his head. He turned where he sat and peered up at Sanghyuk through those gleaming eyes the crown prince loved _ so _ much. “Promise me something, your highness.”

“Anything.”

“Promise me that his presence here will change nothing between us.”

Sanghyuk sank to his knees beside the divan’s armrest and took Jaehwans hands in his. His beloved, the most important person in his life, the one he cherished above all others. The prince was already beginning to regret his decision to summon the imposter if it was upsetting Jaehwan so much. But this Hongbin person was Jaehwans brother! Surely Jaehwan would want them to get to know each other! 

“I promise, love. Nothing will change between us as long as I live but I simply don’t understand,” Sanghyuk replied, his sense of confusion only growing stronger. Jaehwan searched his face, looking from one of the princes eyes to the other and back again, gripping Sanghyuk’s hands tight. 

Despite all of the strangeness, Sanghyuks interest was undeniably piqued. His lover was always so reluctant to discuss his past, hesitant to answer Sanghyuks questions on the subject no matter how many times the prince asked. And now, a piece of that history had walked into his palace under a fake name. The conversation would be unavoidable. 

Jaehwan nodded once and turned away but Sanghyuk caught his poor cheek, running his finger across the plane of it. He was still fuming about the assault on his lover, wanted to ring the strange man’s neck for daring to lay a finger on Jaehwan but he held himself back. Held his anger at bay for Jaehwans sake. 

Sanghyuk shifted onto the divan and scooped Jaehwan up into his arms, pressing his ear to his lovers chest for a moment. Listening to the comforting rhythm of his steady heartbeat. This boy, this lowborn, beautiful, _ delightful _ boy was the center of his universe. His North Star. More of a home to Sanghyuk than the palace had ever been. To say that he disliked it when his love was distraught would be like saying that a mountain lion disliked it when it was poked in the eye with a stick. 

“Nothing will happen, love. I just wish to speak with him.” 

Jaehwan sighed, a noise of pure exhaustion, and he drew Sanghyuk up to him. Drew the princes mouth to his own and kissed him slowly. The softest brush of sweetest lips and Sanghyuk held his lover close. Caressing his smooth skin, fingers curling around the back of his head-

_ “Ehem.” _

It wasn’t so much the clearing of a throat as someone actually speaking the sound. Feeling eyes on the back of his neck, Sanghyuk turned to face the door. He kept a hand on Jaehwans cheek though. 

A face like the painted angels looked back at him. Warm brown hair falling over eyes the color of melted chocolate, and a dimpled smile so bright it almost blinded. Gods, but Jaehwans brother was _ beautiful. _

The man bowed, pale grey cloak around his shoulders scraping the floor as he did so. It was too deep, too exaggerated to be sincere but Sanghyuk honestly couldn’t find it in himself to be offended. And then the man spoke with a voice like the ringing of a gong. 

“Your highness,” he said, straightening up and flicking his fringe from his eyes. Sanghyuk swallowed. “Hello again, Hwannie.”

Jaehwan was very still in Sanghyuks arms, doll face as blank as a porcelain mask._ You’re the crown prince, gather yourself and make this man believe it. _

“You’re the visiting lord from Atria?” Sanghyuk asked, forcing his voice into a low, conversational register. The man smiled again. 

“No, your highness.”

The prince was a bit taken aback by the honesty. “My name is Hongbin. Just a simple commoner visiting my sweet brother.”

“Why do you call yourself lord if it is a lie?”

Hongbin chuckled quietly and graced the prince with a wink that was downright rakish. “I needed to get through the door somehow.”

Sanghyuk felt uncomfortable in front of this man the way he never had in front of Jaehwan. In front of Jaehwan, the prince was always just himself. But now he felt like he needed to be impressive for some reason. 

“It was thoughtful of you to find something to wear that’s a bit more demure, Hwannie,” he added, gaze flicking back in Jaehwans direction. 

That was yet another aspect of this situation that put Sanghyuk off kilter. His love wasn’t shy about his body, never had been, but he had chosen to put on a high necked shirt of thick cotton and a pair of satin trousers so wide-legged they bordered on flowy. Modest by anyone’s standards. 

“I’d appreciate it if you kept your opinions about my appearance to yourself,” Jaehwan replied, monotone, like he was bored. It made Hongbin smile nonetheless. Sanghyuk watched him with covert interest. Being intimidated by anyone was a feeling the prince was unused to in _ any _ context, but least of all by a commoner.

“It’s the middle of summer, sweet.”

“I was cold, not that it’s _ any _ concern of yours.”

Hongbin’s eyes glittered and creased in the corners as he smiled. “Why didn’t you simply light a fire then?”

Jaehwan hissed under his breath and moved to stand but the prince placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. 

“I apologize for my loves rudeness,” Sanghyuk interjected, cutting off the banter of his two companions. It was an impulsive move. The prince wasn’t even sure which of them had been _ truly _ rude but still, Jaehwan shouldn’t speak to guests with impertinence, brother or no.

The color that flushed in Jaehwans cheeks added a dash of spice to his immaculate pallor. He shut his mouth with an audible snap, lips pursed in a way Sanghyuk was _ more _ than familiar with by now. Exasperation. In contrast, Hongbin’s grin only widened. “It matters not, your highness. This is the way of brothers as I’m sure you know.”

Sanghyuk _ didn’t _ know. As an only child and crown prince, his childhood had been spent in relative seclusion. The only time he ever really interacted with anyone until Jaehwan came along was when Hakyeon or Taekwoon visited the palace. Both being a good five years his senior didn’t help matters any, but they had been kind enough to let him tag along underfoot. The prince had read about brothers though, many sets, and so maybe Hongbin had a point. 

“Is that why you hit him?”

At his side, Jaehwan fisted the fabric of his pants in an uncharacteristic display of emotion. Did this man put his lover off balance as much as he put Sanghyuk off balance? 

“He was being a brat, simply instinct cultivated from when we grew up together. I’m sure you’re aware of his penitent for petulance, your highness.”

Jaehwan shot to his feet with a scowl. “I will not sit here and be insulted,” he snapped, turning to stomp from the room. He barely made it a step and a half before Sanghyuk caught his hand. “Sit,” the prince said, tone brokering no argument, meaning it as an order. And Jaehwan sat. 

It wasn’t like Jaehwans presence wasn't _ strictly _ necessary but Sanghyuk needed him to be there all the same. He didn’t enjoy one on one meetings as a rule and so rarely held audiences without his lover at his side. Hongbin made him nervous. Sanghyuk didn’t like being nervous. 

“He can leave, your highness.”

Sanghyuk blinked owlishly, meeting Hongbin's stare. It wasn’t every day that he was openly contradicted. 

“Isn’t the sole purpose of you visit here to spend time with him?”

“It was,” the man replied, winking again, “But your company is much more interesting than anything my sweet brother could hope to offer.”

Sanghyuk blushed, Jaehwan wincing and dropping his head to stare at his own knees. The prince sensed real hurt in the gesture... or could it possibly be shame? Sanghyuk slipped an arm around his waist instinctively, tucking the elder against his side and dropping a kiss on Jaehwan’s temple. 

He felt a twinge of something in his gut but didn’t dismiss Hongbin the way he normally would have. Didn’t retort, didn’t reprimand or scold. That only seemed to upset Jaehwan further but Sanghyuk stayed quiet. He wasn’t even sure why. 

“So, when is the royal wedding to be held? Am I invited?”

Jaehwan made an involuntary movement, fingers stretching and then recurling, hands clasped tightly in his lap. Sanghyuk shook his head minutely to try and clear it. 

“What wedding?”

“Yours, your highness,” Hongbin replied, those mesmerizing eyes flicking between Sanghyuk and Jaehwan. “I _know_ my sweet, and he won’t want to sit at your side without recognition forever. It’s not in his nature. He needs lots of attention.”

Sanghyuk glanced at his lover and found that Jaehwans color had risen further. Flushed past irritation, now splotchy with undisguised anger. Hongbins assumption wasn’t incorrect though. Jaehwan had made his desire to marry the prince very clear on several occasions, a fact that absolutely _ delighted _ Sanghyuk. He wished to marry Jaehwan just as much, if not _ more _ than Jaehwan wanted to marry him. To keep Jaehwan at his side for the rest of his life, to eat with him, to rule with him, to raise children with him, and marriage was the simplest way to achieve that goal. 

His lover never ate with him and that was what bothered Sanghyuk most. He could always sleep in Jaehwans bed, he could sleep in any bed he liked. And he could summon Jaehwan to him at any hour of the day or night if the prince wanted him. But Jaehwan _ refused _ to eat with him. 

Sanghyuk had even prepared a picnic for them once. Ordered the palace chef to prepare all Jaehwans favorite foods, had several servants set up a blanket that was scattered with pillows and covered with a silken canopy stretched between two trees. It had been constructed on Jaehwans favorite bend in the nearby river and Sanghyuk had been _ so _ proud of it, but his lover hadn’t reacted to the surprise the way the prince had expected him too. Jaehwan had sat primly on the blanket, accepted a glass of sweetwine, but _ refused _ to eat a single bite until Sanghyuk had finished his own food. Even when the prince had held little nibbles out for him to try, Jaehwans mouth had remained tightly shut. 

So, when Hongbin pulled a small packet of what looked like lemondrop sweets out of a pocket, popped one in his mouth, and offered them to the prince with a smile, Sanghyuk was struck slightly dumb. 

To be treated like a _ normal _ person, contradicted and bantered with and offered snacks... it was such a refreshing- 

Jaehwan swatted the candies out of Hongbins hand just as Sanghyuk reach out to take one, sending them rolling across the floor of the princes parlor. “Your highness, they could be poisoned! In any case it isn’t proper-“

“Jaehwan! Leave us this instant! Get out!” Sanghyuk snapped, scooting away from his lover with a frustrated huff. 

“It is two in the morning, your highness, come to bed with-“

“Go! Now!”

Jaehwan stared at him, eyes wide, a muscle twitching in his jaw and Sanghyuk forced himself to look away. He hated himself when he was angry, it was childish and led to rash decisions but even still... Jaehwan _ couldn’t _ behave thusly. He shouldn’t argue with the prince, let alone treat a guest with such open contempt. 

Sanghyuk crossed his legs and kept his gaze firmly fixed upon the wall opposite. He could feel the anger sparking beneath his lovers skin even at a distance. 

Jaehwan turned then, sidestepping his brothers outstretched hand like a dancer as he moved silently to the door. 

“Don’t be like that, sweet brother, don’t pout,” Hongbin called after him, a smile on his face and a tease in his tone. If Jaehwan noticed, he didn’t react. Only bowed once he reached the exit and slipped from the room. 

Sanghyuks appetite for conflict was dwindling and a sudden unnamed dread was constricting his heart. He didn’t like that, he realized, the endearment that seemed like no endearment at all. It was too... Sanghyuk didn’t have a word for it. He didn’t have a sibling, didn’t have much to base it off, but it just felt... _ wrong. _

Hongbin turned back to face him and gave the prince a knowing, conspiratorial look. “He’s a bit dramatic, I know. It gets old after a while.”

The prince nodded dumbly, although he disagreed. Hongbin’s low, unctuous voice grabbed his attention and held it. “So, your highness, what would you like to talk about?”

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * I’ve been writing for just under a year, and reading some of my stuff over again I can see that I improved a bit. It’s hard to read my new stuff and see myself back sliding again. I’m sorry that my stuff has been such shit quality recently, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.*

_ “Hongie kongie,” Jaehwan singsonged, dipping a brush in his pallet of oil paints. _

_ He was trying to mix the perfect shade of green to match the long river grasses. Not juniper, not pine either. Like a combination of sage and moss. He dabbed the pan of green and added just a dot of blue, a smidge more yellow. Maybe a bit of white... There it was. Perfect. _

_ Hongbin lay on the ground beside Jaehwan, hands folded behind his head and eyes closed. He was still thin, they both were, but Hongbin was growing faster than Jaehwan. The elders legs may be longer but Hongbin had broader shoulders, a stronger jaw. And the face that had been cherubic when he was very young was now smoothing out into pure and undiluted beauty. Jaehwan loved painting his best friend. Capturing the angles and planes of his sort-of brothers face. _

_ “Kongie kongie hongie kongie...” _

_ “Will you knock that off, sweet? I’m trying to nap.” _

_ Jaehwans smile split his face and he set down his brush, tumbling across the grass to collapse on Hongbin’s stomach. _

_ It was a Saturday. The best day in Jaehwans week. He didn’t have to go to school and his parents gave them both the day off from helping on the farm. It was twenty four hours of delicious freedom. Hongbin’s weeks were different, he didn’t go to Jaehwans school any more. The teachers hadn’t been able to teach Hongbin anything for several years now, he was just too smart. But his saturdays were just as free as Jaehwans. _

_ They didn’t have extra money for better schooling, but the man that tutored their lords children had taken a liking to Hongbin. Called him... what was the word? Ah, precocious. He said that letting a mind like Hongbin’s stagnate would be a crime and so gave him private tutoring sessions at the small public library three times a week for free. Jaehwan was the polar opposite. He struggled in school and often sought out his brothers help for homework assignments, but he was a star in their little community theater troop and had already been given several solos in choir. _

_ “What is teacher telling you about this week?” Jaehwan asked, tapping out a rhythm on Hongbin’s chest. _

_ “Differential geometry.” _

_ Jaehwan blinked. Geometry sounded like math but what differential was, he had absolutely no clue. _

_ “Fun?” _

_ Hongbin grinned and cracked open an eye. “It is fun. He wants to bring me to the capital and help me become an apprentice to one of the kings advisors. He says I have a mind for politics.” _

_ Jaehwan shot up to a sitting position, icy panic flooding his body like he’d just fallen in the river. “Bin!” _

_ “What?” _

_ “You can’t go!” _

_ “And why not?” _

_ Jaehwan spluttered. “You’re only thirteen!” _

_ “So are you.” _

_ “No!” _

_ “Yes, you are. You’re the same age as me for another month still.” _

_ “I meant no, you can’t go!” _

_ “The crown prince is around our age, I might make friends with him if I go. Think about how cool that would be.” _

_ “But you cant! You can’t go off and leave me here! What about our plan?!” _

_ Hongbin laughed lightly and tugged on Jaehwans sun-bleached hair. Drawing the elder back down and cradling Jaehwans face in his hands. “I’ve had some thoughts about the plan, actually.” _

_ Jaehwan blinked, not understanding. Was Hongbin going to abandon him? Had he realized how much better than Jaehwan he was? Did he decide that Jaehwan would just be dead weight, dragging him down and holding him back from reaching his true potential? _

_ The expression on Jaehwans face must have have been comical because Hongbin smiled wider. “Don’t worry, sweet Hwannie, I told him I don’t want to go. I could never leave you here by yourself.” _

_ “Oh,” Jaehwan sighed, brain swimming in liquid relief. _

_ The younger chuckled. He raised his head, laying a kiss on Jaehwans mouth. It was closed lipped and soft, the tentative, exploratory kind of kiss that his girlfriends in school had begun telling him about. Everyone liked him, but Jaehwan preferred the company of girls. Most of the boys in his class were loud and excitable. Always pushing and shoving and rolling around in the dirt to try and impress whatever girl they were sweet on. Jaehwan didn’t like that. Other than Hongbin, boys made him feel distinctly nervous. _

_ Jaehwan never talked to the girls about Hongbin though. His best friend had told him to keep it a secret. He said everyone else would be jealous that they had the kind of love for one another that people only read about in storybooks. Jaehwan had agreed wholeheartedly, but he privately thought that people would get the wrong idea about them, what with Jaehwans parents having raised Hongbin since the fire. Whatever the case, he kept it a secret. His one and only secret. _

_ “Sweet fairy boy,” Hongbin murmured, catching a giggling Jaehwan and hugging tight when he tried to roll away. “Don’t you dream about more than just having our own farm?” _

_ Jaehwans laughter choked off on a confused sort of cough. “What do you mean?” _

_ His best friend rested his chin on Jaehwans shoulder, the elder unable to see his face as he spoke. “Don’t you want the kind of life the king has? One where you can paint everyday and sing whenever you like? Wear beautiful clothing and stroll about dripping in jewels?” _

_ Jaehwan did, although he rarely admitted so aloud. Who didn’t dream of being royal every now and then? All his friends agreed that he looked like a fairytale prince and liked to decorate him with flowers during recess. A life of relaxation sounded like heaven to Jaehwan, but he wasn’t the ambitious one of the pair. He’d be happy enough having a farm of their own. _

_ “Yes, Bin, but we aren’t kings, are we?” _

_ “No, we aren’t. But that doesn’t mean we can’t live like them.” _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

Sanghyuk forced himself up so he was sitting properly. 

He had decided to go for a walk in the gardens, and since Jaehwan was nowhere to be found, the prince had asked Hongbin to accompany him. He’d let the man remain in the palace, informing no one of his false identity. The only person who knew that Hongbin wasn’t a real noble, other than himself and Jaehwan, was Wonshik. But Wonshik knew about everything, one of the perks of being a manservant. He always got to overhear the best gossip first hand. 

Hongbin abruptly stood, vacating the spot on the bench they’d been sitting on for several minutes. He looked down at Sanghyuk, the princes cheeks reddening of their own accord. The man was dangerous in that way, Sanghyuk decided. He could make the prince blush from nothing but simple eye contact. Make the princes heart flutter in an entirely new way.

“Your not the kind of man I expected you to be.”

“What kind of man did you expect me to be?”

Hongbin laughed. “Vane, unintelligent, unremarkable... but I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

Sanghyuk’s blush deepened. “I didn’t know princes were allowed to be unremarkable,” he replied, aiming for a relaxed, conversational tone and missing entirely. Hongbin’s smile widened.

“Of course they are,” he said, reaching out, running tentative fingers through the princes hair. Sanghyuk’s eyes followed the movements of Hongbin’s hand, stilling entirely where he sat. “You just happen to be better than the rest.”

Sanghyuk filed that comment away for later inspection. Something in Hongbin's tone chilled him, although he had no reason to be wary. He wasn’t used to being touched by anyone other than Jaehwan. The fingers weaving lazily through the strands of his hair were entirely forign. 

“Will you tell me about what Jaehwan was like as a child?” Sanghyuk asked, broaching the topic he’d been skirting around for days in an attempt to change the subject. 

Hongbin’s touch left him and he perched beside Sanghyuk once more, balanced on one knee. “What would you like to know, your highness?”

“Anything. I know he’s from Virisey and he grew up on a farm, but that’s all. He never speaks about his childhood, never mentions his parents, may the gods keep their souls in peace and comfort, and he _ certainly _ never mentioned you.”

The mans beautiful eyes slid out of focus for a moment as if he were lost in memory. “Hwannie has never understood the fundamental principle of _looking_ at one’s enemy rather than _listening_ to them.”

“Pardon?”

Hongbin seemed to return to himself, smiling at Sanghyuk with something resembling fondness. “Nothing, your highness. Pay that no mind.” 

The prince, unsure of what to make of it, simply kept silent.

“I guess he was a typical child. He was popular in school, easy to laughter and best friends with all the girls. His male classmates were jealous of that fact, actually. But he was very creative. Enjoyed painting and singing more than learning or books.”

“Jaehwan sings?”

Hongbin gave the prince a blank look. “Of course... does he not sing anymore?”

“No, or if he does, I’ve never heard him do so,” Sanghyuk replied, feeling cheated somehow.

“How odd. Singing used to be my sweet brother’s greatest pleasure in life.”

Hongbin paused again. Sanghyuk watched him and found that he _couldn’t_ look away.

“He always liked animals. There was a pony on his parents' farm, a little thing, white with brown patches and a caramel spot over one eye. He named her Begonia, the gods only know why for she resembled a flower the way I resemble a privateer’s galley, which is to say not at all. But he _ loved _ her. Ran around the farm with her like she was a dog and combed her mane every day. He liked to feed her bits of sugarcane...”

“What happened to her?” Sanghyuk asked, once his companion’s silence had drifted on for too long. 

“We had to sell her. Broke Jaehwan’s heart, it did. He cried when the man who purchased her took her away and for several hours after that.”

“Why?”

“Well, he wanted to keep her-”

“No, not why did he cry, I meant why did you have to sell her?”

“Ah, we needed money after his parents passed, may the gods keep their souls in peace and comfort. Horses are valuable, your highness, no matter their shape or size.”

Sanghyuk frowned. “Jaehwan used to take care of my mare,” he replied, trying to contribute something to the conversation rather than simply sitting there like a statue. Hongbin offered a dimpled smile. “I know.”

“Is there anything specific you’d like to know, your highness?”

“How did his parents pass away? He told me he was in a fire as a child and I've always wondered if it was the fire that took them from this world. The effects of it still linger, his lungs are weak and constitution delicate, as I’m sure you know, so it must have been a bad one.”

Hongbin’s deep brown gaze fixed on the prince and Sanghyuk forced himself to look elsewhere, ashamed of being caught staring. “He does?”

“He does what?”

Hongbin cleared his throat. “Have weak lungs. Have a delicate constitution.”

“Ah, yes. Physical exertion quickly leaves him breathless and he’s very sensitive to the heat. Crowds as well, now that I think on it. He gets a bit jittery,” Sanghyuk replied, surprised that this seemed to be news. 

“He doesn’t like being around men.”

“What do you mean? He... he is _ known _ to enjoy the company of men,” the prince said, unable to keep the note of disbelief from his tone. The idea of his lover not liking men was simply absurd. 

“No, no your highness, I was not speaking of his sexual appetites, I'm well aware that he is attracted to men. But being around strange men makes him nervous, and groups of them are worse. I know not why, he’s just always been that way.”

This was something Sanghyuk wasn’t aware of, but he filed it away as well. He could ask Jaehwan about it when his lover was finally located. 

“But, what does that have to do with how his parents passed?”

Hongbin snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, pressing a hand to Sanghyuk’s cheek. The prince managed to keep his expression blank by the skin of his teeth. Hongbin’s fingers soft on his skin, and Sanghyuk realized for the second time how dangerous he was. This man who made him forget everything that was important. 

“Well, your highness, it only happened because Hwannie was playing with matches.”

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

_ Jaehwan was hiding in his room, there were no two ways about it. His parents were gone on their seasonal three day trip to the capital, all the local farmers went as it was easier and cheaper to buy supplies they’d need for winter, leaving Jaehwan and Hongbin by themselves. _

_ His parents had left Hongbin in charge. Jaehwan had just turned fifteen which practically made him a grown man out here in the country, but Hongbin was still the one his parents trusted more in the responsibility department. It would have rankled if Jaehwan didn’t secretly agree with them. _

_ ‘Secretly’ being the operative word. He couldn’t tell Hongbin things like that anymore. If he did, his best friend would just give Jaehwan a knowing smile and a kiss on the cheek before changing the subject. That did rankle. Hongbin should at least pretend to be modest. But Jaehwan wasn’t hiding up here because he was pouting or anything. _

_ No, Jaehwan was hiding in their bedroom because Hongbin had his friends over. _

_ Hongbin had made lots of new friends recently, and they were all boys. The majority of them we’re older, some even as old as eighteen, and having all of them in the house at one time made Jaehwan intensely nervous. His parents would be upset if they knew. The boys weren’t supposed to have anyone over and Jaehwan had secretly been looking forward to having Hongbin and the house all to himself, but that didn’t seem like it was going to happen now. _

_ Jaehwan set down the piece of charcoal he’d been sketching with and sighed. He could hear soft murmuring from downstairs so the strangers hadn’t left, but he was hungry. They were supposed to have made dinner several hours ago and the sky outside the bedroom window was already black. _

_ His stomach gave an audible rumble and Jaehwan decided to be brave. Hongbin's friends may be older, but Jaehwan was taller than the majority of them. Scrawnier, but still taller and that counted for something, didn’t it? _

_ Jaehwan stood and stepped into his slippers. Nothing was going to happen to him. They were Hongbins friends and he was Hongbins brother. He would be totally fine. That’s what Jaehwan repeated in his head on a loop as he scurried downstairs. _

_ Peeking around the door to the family room, Jaehwans mouth fell open. There were at least ten or fifteen boys scattered around, some on chairs and couches and some slouching on the floor. They were drinking something amber from a glass bottle being passed around and two of them were smoking. It took Jaehwan a moment to realize that they were in a circle, and that Hongbin was sitting in his father's armchair by the fireplace. _

_ All the talking and laughing that Jaehwan had been able to hear from upstairs died away when they noticed him standing there. Too many eyes were focused on him. Normally Jaehwan liked attention, but not this kind. Like he was an intruder in his own home. _

_ “Do you need something, Hwannie?” _

_ Jaehwan looked around and found that his best friend was looking back at him. The normal smile that usually graced Hongbin’s features was nowhere to be seen. _

_ “I was just hungry... don’t worry about it,” Jaehwan replied, fixing his eyes on the floor as he crossed the room to the kitchen. He heard someone snap their fingers and then footsteps, and then two of the bigger boys moved in front of him. _

_ For a heartbeat, Jaehwan thought they were going to try and stop him or grab him but they did neither. He didn’t know their names although he’d seen them around in town, but their proximity made Jaehwans nerves jump. He just stood there, watching them make him a plate of his own food in his own kitchen, not knowing what else to do. They had all obviously had dinner here since there were leftovers scattered on the countertop, and Jaehwans feelings were just the slightest bit hurt. Hongbin hadn’t thought to ask him if he wanted anything to eat. _

_ The bigger of the two handed him a plate and a fork and Jaehwan took them, trying not to let his hand tremble as he did so. He was going to go and sit at the table but the boys were in his way. Arms crossed over their barn-broad chests. Jaehwan took that as his queue to leave. _

_ He ate upstairs at his desk in silence, listening to the sounds of what was clearly a party going on downstairs. A party that his brother had clearly decided not to invite him to. He hadn’t even been able to focus on his drawing once all the food was gone. _

_ Lying under the covers in bed a few hours later, Jaehwan wondered how this could have happened. He didn’t understand why all these older people would want to hang out with Hongbin when he was so much younger than them. He didn’t even know when Hongbin had met them! One was in Jaehwans class but still, it was rare for his best friend to leave the library if he wasn’t at home. _

_ “Hwannie? Are you sleeping?” _

_ “How could I sleep with that racket?” Jaehwan snapped, burying his head under the covers. A weight settled on the side of his mattress. “They’ve left now.” _

_ “Great. Now that it’s one in the morning I can finally sleep.” _

_ A hand began petting the top of his head over the covers. “I’m sorry sweet, I’ll tell them to be quieter next time.” _

_ “Why does there have to be a next time? I don’t like having that many strangers in the house.” _

_ “They aren’t strangers, they’re my friends.” _

_ Jaehwan kicked his blankets off and sat up, all the annoyance he’d been suppressing bubbling to the surface. “Since when?! And since when do eighteen-year-olds hang out with people our age?! And why did they make me dinner?!” _

_ “Because I told them to. And we all have similar political ideologies, it’s only natural that we’ve begun to congregate. Age isn’t the point.” _

_ “I’m sorry?!” _

_ Jaehwan sat with his legs folded underneath him as Hongbin snaked his arms around his middle. He couldn’t help but relax into the hug, even if only slightly. “We all agree that the kingdoms governing system is broken. It’s been broken for a while now.” _

_ “What are you talking about, Bin?” Jaehwan asked, hiding his face in the crook of his best friends neck. Hongbin always smelled like wildflowers and old paper, and being able to smell it lingering on his skin just then was a reassurance. _

_ “We believe,” Hongbin said, dropping kisses on the shell of Jaehwans ear, “That the time of monarchy is over.” _

_ The elder went very still. “That’s treason, Bin, you can’t say things like that.” _

_ “It’s only us two here. Are you going to run to the constable and tell on me, sweet?” _

_ His best friends tone was playful but Jaehwan was uneasy. “Of course not, but you can’t just go around saying things like that! Especially not a whole group of you! You’ll be arrested!” _

_ “No we won’t. Monarchy is dead, it’s time for the people to govern themselves.” _

_ “We can’t govern ourselves! That’s what kings and lords and all the rest of them are for!” _

_ “They aren’t like us, Hwannie, they don’t know what it’s like to live the way we do. The people deserve a real leader, a leader that can understand them.” _

_ “And who’s going to be that leader? Who’d be crazy enough to try and take down the king and all the lords and dukes and whoever else?” _

_ Hongbin’s fingers tangled in Jaehwan’s hair and he tugged a bit. Jaehwan could hear the smile in his voice when he replied, “Me.” _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

“Wonshik, call Jaehwan here, would you?” Sanghyuk asked, setting down his quill. 

His father had fallen ill. It wasn’t entirely unexpected what with his indulgences, if there was an expensive vice anywhere in the kingdom, his father had tried it. But the king was bedridden, confined to his chambers with doctors and healers, and so Sanghyuk was left with the responsibilities of ruling. 

It’s not that he wasn’t ready to assume the role of king, he’d been trained to do so his entire life. But Sanghyuk had thought, or _ hoped, _ that he would have more time. More time to be young, to enjoy his relative freedom for a few years at least. 

Wonshik had gone and returned in the time it took Sanghyuk to relax. His body was tense, muscles pulled as tight as bowstrings and an ache beginning to pound inside his skull. He hadn’t slept properly in several days and the prince suspected it was his lack of company keeping him awake. 

“Your highness,” a voice said from the doorway, the honey sweet voice Sanghyuk knew almost as well as his own. He looked up. 

Blonde hair hanging limply in his eyes, the kind of blonde that looked gold indoors and almost white outdoors. Dressed in soft blue gauze that concealed absolutely nothing and cream colored trousers of smoothest silk. The most precious person in Sanghyuk’s life. 

“Love, come,” he said, extending a hand towards the door. Jaehwan bowed low. He kept his eyes downcast as he glided across the room, as pretty as a swan on a sunlit lake, his fingers brushing lightly against Sanghyuks palm. 

The prince drew it to his mouth, gently kissing his lovers knuckles. “Where have you been?” 

“I’m my rooms,” Jaehwan replied, monotone, expressionless. “I go nowhere without my princes command.”

Sanghyuk blinked, startled. He’d never ordered Jaehwan to stay in his rooms. But, then again, he’d never seen Jaehwan wandering the corridors without him. 

“You aren’t- love, you aren’t confined to your quarters. You’re free to roam the grounds as you please. I am not your jailer,” the prince said after a moment, holding Jaehwans hand against his own cheek. 

His lover gifted the prince a small, almost sad smile. “No, your highness, you are my entire life. I have no reason to leave if it is not to be in your company.”

Sanghyuks brow creased. “What do you do all day, if I don’t send for you?” he asked, realizing that this was the first instance he’d asked such a question. 

“Sleep mostly, eat if food is brought to me. Read if you’ve left a book in my room. Otherwise, I admire the view from my window or try on my clothing. Clean my jewelry.”

“That sounds like... a bland existence. I’ve been told you enjoy painting and singing, why don’t you do those- wait what do you mean _ if _ food is brought to you?” Sanghyuk asked, tone growing cold. 

Jaehwans eyes were still fixed on the floor. “I don’t have any paints or instruments, your highness, and I have no dominion over the servants. I eat what your highness provides for me and when your highness provides it. My standing breakfast order is usually brought to me unless the kitchens are too busy, but I ask for nothing.” 

Sanghyuks temper spiked, heat rising in his cheeks as though he had a fever. “Were you aware of this?” he snapped, standing and rounding on his manservant who was motionless in the corner. Wonshik blinked, a mixture of surprise and blankness on his face. “Were you aware that my love was being _ starved _ alone in his room for days on end?!”

Wonshik nodded, blushing slightly. “You have never inquired about it before, your highness.”

Jaehwan coughed lightly. “Your highness, it is of no matter, I am used to being hungry-“

“Yes, it _ does _ matter!” the prince replied, voice sharp. He looked his lover over, blood running cold. Jaehwans wrists were thin, skin paler than usual like he hadn’t seen the sun. And he _ wouldn’t _ have, if this nonsense was true. Sanghyuk hadn’t called for Jaehwan in two weeks, too absorbed with matters of state and his dangerous new companion. Letting the brother distract him from who was most important. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?!”

“Tell you what, my prince?”

Sanghyuk swallowed a curse. “That you’re being treated like a prisoner!”

Jaehwan finally raised his eyes to blink up at the prince. Their normally sharp brown was dull and cloudy. It looked like he was sick or dying. “Your highness,” Jaehwan replied, swallowing hard, “You are the only one who grants me privileges. I am a commoner, I am nothing, I have nothing other than your highness’s generous bequests.”

Sanghyuks stomach twisted unpleasantly. He’d never thought- never asked... had he consigned his love to this? This torture? Treated Jaehwan like a prisoner and been too self centered to realize it? 

He sank back into his chair, pulling Jaehwan onto his lap and hugging him tight. His love felt bony, ribs pressing into the princes chest in a way they usually did not. “Wonshik, Jaehwans word is my word. You will bring him whatever he asks for promptly and without hesitation. Inform the staff of this, now, go,” the prince snapped, adding almost as an afterthought, “And bring us lunch.”

Sanghyuk looked down at the elder, noting a broad vein of anxiety thrumming behind his placid mask. “Love,” the prince murmured, bringing them both to standing before dropping to one knee and taking Jaehwan’s hands in his own. “Love, I am so sorry.”

Jaehwan glanced around the room, real fear pressing his lips into a thin line. “Your highness, please, stop this. Get up before someone sees,” he whispered, trying to tug the prince to his feet. Sanghyuk didn’t budge. With a sigh, his love dropped to his knees as well. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Did you think I wouldn’t care that you were going hungry?”

“Puppy, it’s not that I thought you wouldn’t care. It is that I have no right to ask such things from you. You’ve already given me so much, a home, comfort, how could I ask you for anything else?”

“For _ food, _ though?! A _ basic _ necessity of life?! You didn’t think you could ask for food?”

Jaehwan sighed, an exhausted sound that Sanghyuk felt shudder through his lovers small body. “I’ve said something wrong… or I'm about to say something wrong,” the prince asked, petting Jaehwans hair. That wavy blonde hair that glittered in the sunlight, the blonde hair Sanghyuk had always secretly envied and adored in equal measure. He’d never seen a more lovely person than Jaehwan, and the idea that he’d been mistreating the elder for years- 

“You and I regard such things differently, your highness.”

“What do you mean? Food is food,” Sanghyuk replied, unsure of himself now. Jaehwan gave him that same, sad smile and shook his head, pressing a kiss to the princes cheek. 

“When you grow up without it,” an altogether _ different _ voice said from the door. The pair looked around, Jaehwan’s stoic facade shattering to pieces and body flinching so hard that Sanghyuk heard his neck crack, Sanghyuk himself simply turning at the sound of Hongbin’s voice. “Food is more valuable than diamonds, your highness. You can dress up a gutter boy in fancy clothes, but the mentality will always remain.”

  



	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> its like series of unfortunate events up in here lol

_ “Jaehwanie, are you going to the spring festival in town tonight?” _

_ “No, I don’t think so,” Jaehwan replied, shifting his book bag so it settled more comfortably on his shoulder. He was walking home from school with one of his girlfriends who lived nearby, so drained from trying to understand algebra that it felt like is brain was going to leak out his ears. _

_ “But it’s your birthday soon! And I know Jangmi is going to be there,” his friend said, nudging him and smiling conspiratorially. Jangmi was the girl that had a crush on him, Jaehwan knew, and while he thought she was lovely, he hadn’t had the heart to tell her that he wasn’t interested. _

_ “I’m sure she’ll have fun without me there. Hongbin and I are going to camp out in the woods for the weekend, we’re supposed to go as soon as I get home...” _

_ As he was speaking, Jaehwan had turned to look in the direction of his house. He could see across the empty stretch of farmland that... smoke. _

_ Jaehwan took off at a dead sprint, ignoring the fact that his friend was running after him, ignoring that he’d dropped his bag, ignoring everything but the large group of people surrounding the smoking wreckage of what used to be his home. _

_ “Hongbin?!” he screamed, making to run right passed the gathered people and into the flames but he was caught around the waist. Jaehwan struggled, writhing and attempting to kick the man holding him but he wasn’t released. Tears streamed down his face as he called for his parents, first his mother, then his father, then Hongbin again. Again and again and again until his throat was raw. _

_ “They are gone child, be still,” the gruff voice of his captor proclaimed, as if he hadn’t just declared that Jaehwans universe had ended. As if his words hadn’t heralded Jaehwan’s own death, because how could he go on? How could he continue to rot on this mortal coil when his parents were gone, when his heart itself was gone. He couldn’t- _

_ “There,” the man added, pointing to a pile of char that could resemble two bodies if one were to squint. But two- one of them could still be in there, Hongbin could still be in there, still be alive. _

_ Jaehwan hauled back and kicked the man in the shins and he release the boy with a grunt of pain. Jaehwan tumbled to his knees but was up and off without a moment of hesitation. He couldn’t hear the shouts of the people behind him, panic ringing in his ears as he tore through the front door of his burning home. _

_ A wave of heat hit Jaehwan like a brick wall. His home had never seemed so large as it did during those few minutes, running up the staircase to his and Hongbin's bedroom. The kitchen was entirely gone, all bright flame now and the wood beneath his feet was nothing more than creaking embers but Jaehwan didn't care. Smoke filled his lungs, choking, cloying poison, drowning him the way it had when he was six years old but Jaehwan forced himself to keep moving. _

_ A beam cracked above him with an unnaturally loud bang, like the wood at its very core had exploded, and it tumbled down. Crashing right through the floor in front of him, but Jaehwan was fit. He was strong, a fast runner with a singers lungs and he vaulted over the newly created chasm in the floor without a second thought. _

_ He reached the bedroom, mind empty of everything but his best friends face, a need to find him so strong it was like a physical knife in the chest. Or was that the smoke? Each breath felt like inhaling razors now and somewhere in the furthest reaches of Jaehwan’s consciousness, he realized he was going to suffocate. _

_ The room was empty. Jaehwan looked around, frantic, trying to blink away the smoke stinging his eyes, the tears of pain and loss and grief still pouring from him like a waterfall. He hiccuped, screamed as a tongue of flame licked out and clawed at his hip, and then the floor beneath him fell away with an agonizing screech. _

_ Jaehwan plummeted ten feet, landing flat on his back in a pile of rubble, all the wind knocked from him. He gasped, chest heaving uselessly as he tried to pull air into his lungs but none came. He clawed at his throat. Fingers moving slower and slower as his vision blackened at the edges. The world swam around him, heat at his back and heat at his front and Jaehwan just knew he would die there. Burned alive like his parents and brother- _

_ “Jaehwan!” _

_ Jaehwan’s head lolled to one side, eyes half closed as Hongbin appeared out of nowhere, a cloth secured around his nose and mouth. Arms wrapped around Jaehwan, tugging him up with clear difficulty. Just as he slipped into unconsciousness, Jaehwan thought he heard, “You were supposed to be at school.” _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

Jaehwan was so pleased with himself that it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep a smile off his face. His plan couldn’t have worked better. Thank you’s were in order, if Jaehwan had been in the mood to ever thank Hongbin for anything ever again. He wasn’t. 

“Pardon the interruption...”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Or, _ think _ of him, in this case. Jaehwan turned his eyes to the tri-fold mirror before him, spying his brother leaning up against one of the open double doors with a knowing smile on his ungodly handsome face. Dimples. 

“Give us the room for a moment,” Jaehwan said, glancing down at the palace tailor who was in the process of pinning sheets of sapphire organza to fit the concubines subtle curves. He bowed to Jaehwan, as he should, bowing to Hongbin as well before he and his assistant scurried out into the hall. 

“Why have you _invaded_ my chambers, Hongbin?” Jaehwan asked, once the doors had shut with a quiet click. He didn’t ask how Hongbin had found out where his rooms were, doing so would alert his brother to the fact that Jaehwan hadn’t wanted him to know. 

“Having some new clothes made?”

“Obviously.”

Stepping down off the dressing platform, Jaehwan unfastened the sheer fabric without ceremony and let it flutter to the ground. He had on trousers still; it was a move designed to put his brother off balance rather than highlight Jaehwans love of exposure. It worked perfectly, in the concubines not so humble opinion. 

“This is how I always pictured you, you know.”

“In what way?”

Hongbin’s eyes narrowed just a touch as he moved further into the room. “Covered head to toe in lapis and gold.”

Jaehwan scoffed, shrugging on a dressing gown and coming to stand before his brother. No sense going off without cause. No threat had been made yet, although the elder was sure he wouldn’t have long to wait in that department. There was always a threat of some kind, an ultimatum. “There’s no room for such frivolity in your utopia.”

Hongbin cracked a smile. “I would have made an exception for my right hand man.”

“That wouldn’t have been me, Bin, I would have simply been a decoration in your throne room.”

“All the more reason to make you look like a piece of artwork then.”

His brothers eyes narrowed a touch further as he continued, “It was a clever thing, playing the part of the poor little boy. Making the prince believe that he’s your knight in shining armor.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jaehwan replied, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. 

“Come now, sweet brother, give me at least a _ little _ credit. I _ do _ know you. You wouldn’t starve yourself for any man, prince or pauper.”

And, of course, Hongbin was right. Jaehwan had very tactfully left out the fact that his_ ‘standing breakfast order’ _ actually consisted of three full meals. A days worth of food delivered to his room each morning to be consumed as the sun marched across the sky. Jaehwan had vowed to himself that he would _never _go hungry again, remember? Sanghyuk wouldn’t have known that, he never concerned himself with such things. Wonshik may have, Wonshik knew _everything_ that happened around the palace, but he’d never dare to tell the prince. Wouldn’t dare to speak ill of Jaehwan in front of Sanghyuk. 

It was as though Hongbin could read Jaehwans mind. His smile widened, a dangerous gleam in his eyes. Jaehwan turned on the spot. Looking straight ahead. Not speaking. 

“You play the long game well, sweet.”

Abstract patterns were molded in the panes of his windows, spilling watercolor impressions across the floor and Jaehwan focused on those rather than the honeyed baritone reverberating in his rib cage. 

“Letting the prince gift you power so slowly that he doesn’t realize you’re stealing it from him.”

“Pity... delicacy... weakness,” Jaehwan murmured, forcing himself to stillness as a pair of warm hands circled his waist. “These are weapons you’ve never understood, Bin.”

A low chuckle in his ear. A chest against his back. 

“There isn't a drop of subtlety in you. Always extremes. Always violence,” he added.

Parted lips brushing against his ear. Jaehwan became iron where he stood. The tears in his eyes, the tremors in his fingertips, he forced them away. Banished them. Remnants of the scared little boy he’d been that had no place in the here and now. 

“Rash, am I? Quick to violence when a soft touch is all that's necessary?” Hongbin's voice was dripping in sarcasm but Jaehwan feigned ignorance. Pretended he didn’t catch the meaning in the words. 

His best friend whispered, faint. “How did you actually gain your position in the royal stables, sweet? A teenager with no credentials, no title, no sponsor. The stable master must have _ really _ liked you.”

Jaehwan grit his teeth. The subtext was more than plain but the concubine refused to acknowledge it. “Painful memories, sweet brother? You seem tense.”

“If I seem tense, it is simply due to unpleasant company,” Jaehwan replied, breath catching in a soft gasp. Lips on the nape of his neck, simultaneously foreign and familiar. Lips he hadn’t felt in years. 

“Don’t waste your energy trying to expose me, Bin. His highness loves me too deeply to care what you say.”

Fingers tracing his jaw, a thumb against his cheek, tilting his head back. Jaehwan could feel the hungry dark tingling beneath his skin, bloody coils of emotion writhing like snakes as the pressure on his neck increased. He didn’t think it was possible to love someone so much and _hate_ them in equal measure. 

“You tried to kill me, sweet. I forgive you since it didn’t work but still,” Hongbin paused, taking a moment to nip at Jaehwans throat, “It doesn’t incline me in your favor.”

Jaehwan fought to calm him racing pulse, not to lose himself to the sensation. He didn’t allow himself to remember _ that _ day either. Didn’t think of the vitas spilling across his hands from the gash in his brother's chest. _ Not deep enough, _ Jaehwan thought, lamenting both his lack of experience and sensitivity to gore. _ I didn’t cut him deep enough. _

Hongbin's tongue darted out, right at the join of his shoulder and neck, before he went to work in earnest. The elder tried to stay still, forced his mind to focus on standing. Not allowing himself to go pliant as his best friend broke him down. Touching each of Jaehwans most tender points as though he had them committed to memory. As if not a single day had passed without them being together. 

The years spent in this palace stretched out before Jaehwan, then. He’d only left once, and only did so on that occasion because he thought Hongbin was sick. Thought his brother was dying. If only that had been the case. 

“Where are your henchmen? I’ve been wondering, it’s not like you to work alone,” he managed, barely keeping his footing as the fingers on his waist pressed harder. 

“Scattered about... it’s no concern... of yours.”

Jaehwan squeezed his eyes shut, mouth falling open, unconsciously shifting. Baring his throat. Muscles relaxing to supple elasticity in his best friends skillful hands. “Just tell me what you’re doing here,” he sighed, heat rising in his cheeks, “Are you going to hurt Sanghyuk?”

“It’s a... surprise,” Hongbin replied, mouth finding that _ perfect _ place on Jaehwans throat and sucking gently. It pulled a soft whine from the elder and Hongbin laughed against his skin. He released Jaehwan so abruptly that the elder nearly fell, stumbling a few steps before regaining his balance. 

He looked at his brother and found him smiling like a dyed-in-the-wool sadist. Like he thought pulling Jaehwan to pieces with the ease of an afterthought was funny. 

Jaehwans dark eyes narrowed in cold fury, hating himself in that moment, cursing the poison that seemed to leak from his best friends pores. 

“I know you think you’ll win, but you won’t,” he hissed, uncertainty curdling in the pit of his stomach. But Sanghyuk loved him, adored him, would give him anything and everything he asked for. There was too much between them for the prince to just abandon him. They were unbreakable, no matter how- 

Hongbin took a step forward, pressing a black kiss to Jaehwans brow. 

“You, as ever, underestimate me, sweet brother. Underestimate the _ allure _ of a handsome stranger.”

And then he was gone, crossing the threshold without a backward glance and leaving Jaehwan alone. Sickness sending him shaking as he powdered away the crimson splotches now decorating his neck. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * Ya girl got her rhythm back like halfway through this chapter after weeks of floundering. Don't ask how or why, I have no idea. *
> 
> * Listened to [THIS](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNiI84v1u20) on repeat as I wrote, if you're curious. *
> 
> * Thank you to the 'Jaehwan Sub(port) Group' for giving me this idea ages ago *

_ “Where do you think you’re going, pretty boy?” _

_ Jaehwan raised his head, inwardly cursing himself for a novice. He was well versed in sneaking, going out after his parents, may the gods keep their souls in peace and comfort, were asleep wasn't a rare thing and he thought he had the process perfected. But no. He wasn’t trying to avoid sleeping middle-aged adults. He was trying to avoid his brothers henchmen, for lack of a better word. All of whom were young. And seemed to never, ever sleep.  _

_ “For a stroll, I’m feeling restless and need to walk off some energy,” Jaehwan replied, gifting them a withering glance and nudging his pack further into the underbrush. He’d dropped it there when he heard the boys approach, he just wasn’t quick enough to conceal himself as well.  _

_ “I don’t think so, get back on the house,” the wide one snapped, jerking a thumb in their new homes direction. There were two of them, both at least five years his senior. One Jaehwans height but twice as broad, and the other a good hand taller than Jaehwan but about as thin. Like a mismatched pair of salt and pepper shakers.  _

_ Calling the building a ‘home’ was a bit of a misnomer. Hongbin, or one of his now numerous disciples, had contracted the ancient farmhouse for the group to live in. Or donated it to their cause. Jaehwan wasn’t sure which. How ever they’d come by it, Hongbin and all his people had set up camp there, living and planning and meeting there as a unit. And Jaehwan, having nowhere else and no one else, was now stuck there as well.  _

_ “I’d really like to just go for a walk, if you’d kindly get out of my way...” Jaehwan tried, crossing his arms and glaring the boys down as fiercely as he could.  _

_ The tall one glowered back at him, beetle black eyes narrowed and sharp. “You know the boss’s orders. Nobody leaves the compound without his express permission.” _

_ “I’m the boss big brother. I can do as I please.” _

_ Wide boy tapped a foot against the dirt. “Doesn’t matter. You’re one of the flock, same as the rest of us. Do as you’re told.” _

_ “Last chance to get your ass back in the house, or well drag you there,” tall boy added.  _

_ Pride tightened the line of Jaehwans mouth. He was sick of being pushed around, sick of being hassled, sick of being confined to his and Hongbin’s new room while everyone else took part in meetings. He was sick of being stared at, sick of being treated like a hostage, sick of being paraded around on his brothers arm like some sort of prized thoroughbred. Jaehwan missed his parents, he missed his school friends, and he missed his pony, Begonia. “No.” _

_ Tall boy moved quicker than Jaehwan had anticipated, lifting him bodily off the ground with arms like pythons. Jaehwan tried to scream but a shovel sized hand was slapped across his mouth. Stifling his cries. “Teach you a lesson, stuck up little bitch, think you’re better than us?” Wide boy grunted, paying no attention to Jaehwans muffled screaming and tearing at his roughspun clothing with hammy fists.  _

_ Lashing out blind with stars in his eyes, already getting dizzy from the forearm pressing against his windpipe, Jaehwan drove his knee up into wide boys groin. The blow sent him howling to the ground and Jaehwan turned his attention to tall boy. He was still- _

_ “What goes on here, comrades?” _

_ Hongbin didn’t shout, he didn’t need to. That deep voice echoed around the dark stillness of the night like a thunderclap.  _

_ Wide boy was still rolling around in the dirt but tall boy froze, Jaehwan dangling in his massive arms like a broken doll. His brother was visibly angry, expression grim and dark eyes clouded.  _

_ “He was trying to leave,” tall boy replied, a note of question in his tone. Probably realizing the scale of his fuck up.  _

_ “Let go of my brother, please.” _

_ Tall boy released Jaehwan so fast that he couldn’t find his legs in time, crumpling to his knees on the ground and hugging himself as tightly as he could.  _

_ “Is that true?” Hongbin asked, helping Jaehwan to his feet and giving the elder a cursory inspection. Legs shaky, mouth dry, Jaehwan shook his best friend off.  _

_ “I was going for a walk!” _

_ Hongbin looked at him, then looked around. He knelt and retrieved Jaehwan’s pack from where the elder had concealed it. “You packed?” _

_ Jaehwans mouth shut with an audible snap. A choking ball of hate was crawling up his throat. He wanted to get away from here, get away from his brother, get away from all the rest of them.  _

_ “Leave us,” Hongbin said quietly, waiting for tall boy to help wide boy limp away back to the house. “You were going to sneak away in the dead of night without saying goodbye?” _

_ Jaehwan swallowed very, very hard. “Yes.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Because I didn’t think you’d let me go.” _

_ Hongbin started back at him, unshed tears sparkling on his lashes in the dark.  _

_ A small part of Jaehwan, a tiny and stupid part in the very deepest part of his heart, wanted Hongbin to tell him to stay. Longed for Hongbin to say that he needed Jaehwan. That he would be lost without Jaehwan. That he couldn’t live without Jaehwan. But of course, Hongbin didn’t need Jaehwan, he never had.  _

_ The younger stepped forward and pressed his lips to Jaehwans cheek, settling the pack on Jaehwans shoulder.  _

_ “If you’re truly as miserable as you look, then go,” Hongbin said softly, dismay plain in his puppy brown eyes. Jaehwan couldn’t help it. He burst into tears and threw his arms around his best friends neck, sobbing into his shoulder. He’d never lived without Hongbin at his side. Didn't know to be without him, but he had to try.  _

_ Hongbin petted the back of Jaehwans head, resting his cheek against Jaehwans hair until his tears had dried up. “I love you, be careful.” _

_ Jaehwan hiccuped and stepped back, peering into his best friends eyes. They’d gone dull, filmed over so no emotion was visible. Jaehwan ran like a mad thing. He couldn’t stand to see that injured detachment in eyes he knew as well as his own. Crashing through the field at a dead sprint, not slowing down until he reached the road into town, Jaehwan felt his young heart shatter.  _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

Jaehwan woke with a scream, finding gentle hands caressing him, bidding him to hush. He gasped, pulling in a desperate, stuttering lungful of air. There wasn’t enough air. Never enough air. He was still being choked by smoke, could still feel the fire burning against his hip, could still hear the roaring as it devoured his home. Could still see the scalding impressions of orange light searing behind his eyelids-

“Love, Jaehwan love, you’re safe. You’re safe.”

The words struck at something in Jaehwans core and he shook his head very fast. His nightmare flames scattered, slowly retreating into the darkness of Sanghyuks bedchamber. Sanghyuk. His one true friend within these gilded walls. Only  _ his _ prince. 

Jaehwan looked around, groping for his princes hand, needing to feel his warm skin, needing to anchor himself to the present. But Sanghyuk was leaning away from him. Fiddling with something on the bedside table.

A match struck. Fire _ burst, _ crackling and popping as it ignited and Jaehwan screamed again before he could stop himself. Logic hadn’t caught up with him yet. The sight of the minuscule flame dancing in the darkness sent his instincts ringing in alarm. 

Jaehwan scrambled back, moving so fast that he tumbled right off the edge of the bed. 

“Love! Are you alright?!” 

Sanghyuk stuck his head over, peering down at the other, panic stricken features barely illuminated by flickering candlelight. He’d just been lighting a candle. Just a candle. 

Jaehwan was quite silent. Cowering on the floor with his face hidden in one shaking hand. There were tears on his face, mingling with the clammy sweat adhering his hair to his forehead. It had just been a nightmare. Just a bad dream. Just a candle. 

Sanghyuk slid off the bed and down onto the floor, wrapping his arms around the elder and hugging him close. “You had a nightmare, love, that’s all it was. You’re safe now.”

It had been a nightmare, yes, but more than that. It had been a  _ memory. _ He’d been back in his parents house as it burned, the shaky anxious feeling of panic, the frantic need to find his best friend- he could still  _ feel _ it. Pounding like ice in his veins. 

“What did you dream about? Can I help?”

Jaehwan twitched, stuttering fingers weaving through his princes hair and scooting onto his lap. “The fire, from my childhood, your highness...” Jaehwan swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut. “It’s nothing.” 

Sanghyuk rested his chin on the top of Jaehwans head, rocking gently. “The one you started?”

Jaehwan froze. “What?”

“You know,” his prince replied, sounding slightly unsure of himself. “When your parents,  _ ah- _ when they passed away? When you were playing with matches?”

Jaehwan was on his feet before he knew it. His eyes had gone wide, a spasm of fear flitting across his face before he could hide it. “Who told you that? Who told you that filthy lie?” he whispered, panic in his voice now. 

“Hongbin?”

Jaehwan clenched his jaw, shaking with a fresh wave of fury. Of course. Of  _ course _ Hongbin had lied to Sanghyuk about him. He’d want to paint Jaehwan in the worst way possible, and Jaehwan couldn’t think of a better way to make someone sound like a monster than to give them Hongbin’s own sins. 

Sorrow swelled up and drowned his rage in an instant. “It is a  _ lie,” _ Jaehwan said in a very shaky voice. “I was at school. My home was already burning when I arrived. I ran- ran inside to try and find Hongbin. I almost died, your highness, almost died to try and save my brother.”

He watched in the dim candle light, saw his princes eyes shutter over. Saw his brow crease in confusion. And Jaehwan knew then, he knew Sanghyuk wouldn’t believe him. He’d been too stingy with details, too secretive, too private. He should have told Sanghyuk in the beginning. Should have explained about his past so that Sanghyuk would have been ready for the onslaught of lies Hongbin had no doubt been feeding him. 

Jaehwan has been too optimistic, too naive. He’d been stupid enough to believe that Hongbin was in his past, that Jaehwans attempt to stop him had been successful. That he wouldn’t claw his way back to consciousness and into the palace to fuck up Jaehwans life in every possible way. 

“He’s poisoned you against me, I can see it in your eyes, my prince,” Jaehwan murmured, fighting a mad desire to laugh. 

Sanghyuk was blinking up at him, that same doe eyed expression that Jaehwan had fallen in love with so many years ago and this wouldn’t do. It  _ would. Not. Do.  _

“What are you talking about, love?”

Jaehwans eyes narrowed, too lost in thought to answer. Hongbin was  _ good, _ he was  _ smart, _ he was a manipulative son of a bitch when he wanted to be. But in this one thing, this  _ one _ thing, Jaehwan was better. 

“Nothing, my prince. I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

Jaehwan smiled, running a hand through Sanghyuk’s raven hair. “It matters not. Come back to bed.”

Under the thick coverlet once again, his princes head pillowed on his stomach, Jaehwan let himself run through the plan taking shape in his mind. It was stupid, borderline suicidal, but if it worked, Sanghyuk would be  _ eternally _ devoted to him. The prince was his, Jaehwan knew Sanghyuk's mind as well as he knew his own. He knew _exactly_ what strings to tug at to get the strongest reactions. Hongbin wanted to play games? Well, Jaehwan was _done_ with games. Time to bring out the heavy artillery. 

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

“Do you need a medic?”

“Fuck you, your highness,” Hongbin replied, in a good natured if slightly raspy voice. 

Sanghyuk had accidentally landed a blow to the man’s flank that would be sure to bruise. He was surprised he hadn’t broken one of Hongbins ribs, actually. 

He’d convinced the strange man to spar with him, using wooden bokken of course, not real blades. It was good, helped burn off some of the energy that always coursed through the prince in Jaehwans absences. Sanghyuk had woken up in bed alone this morning, thoughts of his lover post-nightmare still first and foremost in his head. It had been one of those frustrating times when Jaehwans thoughts were entirely concealed from him. 

“Your highness!” 

A new voice. Sanghyuk looked around and found his manservant hurrying towards him across the courtyard. And he appeared absolutely _stricken. _

“What is it, Wonshik, is it my father? Has he taken a turn for the worse?” Sanghyuk asked, sudden panic shooting up his spine. Wonshik stopped before him, jaw clenched tight, brow furrowed. “No, it- it’s something else.”

“Spit it out then,” Hongbin replied, coming to stand beside him and slipping an arm around the princes waist. Sanghyuk didn't know exactly how he should feel about that. 

“You need to come with me, your highness. At once.”

A bit regretfully, Sanghyuk handed his bokken to Hongbin. “Thank you for the practice session, we should do it again sometime,” he said quietly, pulling away from the overly familiar embrace. He could feel Hongbin's eyes on his back as he followed Wonshik towards the palace. 

“What has happened,” Sanghyuk asked, once they were a safe distance away. Wonshik cleared his throat. “Your highness... your crown has been stolen.”

Sanghyuk came to a dead stop halfway up the palace steps. “Excuse me?” he exclaimed, voice going dangerously low. Wonshik bowed his head. “I was preparing to bring it to the royal jeweler for polishing, your highness, but when I went to retrieve it from your chambers, it was gone.”

“And they couldn’t have sent someone to pick it up?”

“Not without clearing it with me first, your highness. Nobody is allowed to enter your dressing room other than you and I for exactly this reason.”

Sanghyuk let out an infuriated sigh. “Who would want to steal it?!”

“I can think of several people off the top of my head, your highness.”

“That was rhetorical,” Sanghyuk snapped, dabbing the rapidly drying sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of his tunic. The first suspect that popped into his head was Hongbin. The man was the only stranger currently in residence and an imposter to boot, but he’d been with Sanghyuk all morning. There wouldn’t have been an opportunity for him to do such a thing. 

“Alright, listen to me very carefully. Do not breathe a word to anyone else about the crowns disappearance. Go and look for it and don’t come back until you’ve thoroughly turned my apartments over. I’ll make enquiries of my own. Go.”

Wonshik bowed and hurried away leaving the prince in the wide entrance hall. Sanghyuk was  _ positive _ he’d put his crown in its case after his last public audience but... maybe he’d left it in his audience chamber for some reason. 

Sanghyuk didn't hold audience in the main throne room unless he was with the king, so the only place it could be would be the princes private antichamber. Sanghyuk tried his best to walk in a way that befit his station rather than stomp the way he wanted to. Who, in their  _ right _ mind, would have the gall to steal his-

“You’re dismissed,” he snapped, glaring at the guards stationed at the antichamber door. They scurried away with bows and murmurs of “Your highness,” and Sanghyuk gave up trying to look dignified now that there was nobody to whiteness his childish behavior. 

He stalked inside, slammed the door, and then stopped walking so abruptly it was as though he’d run into an invisible wall. Jaehwan was  _ sitting _ on his  _ throne.  _

Well, not sitting so much as he was  _ reclining. _ Feet bare, one leg tossed carelessly over the armrest, robes of translucent amethyst tied  _ very _ loosely, and Sanghyuks silver crown on his head. There were so many things wrong with this picture, Sanghyuk couldn’t even begin to count them all. Commoners  _ weren’t _ allowed to wear purple, they  _ weren’t _ allowed to sit on a monarch's throne, and they  _ certainly _ weren’t allowed to wear crowns. Sanghyuk should be breathless with anger, so why was he breathless for an entirely different reason?

“Jaehwan?!” he called, voice nothing more than a strangled sort of croak. His love stopped inspecting his perfectly manicured nails for long enough to give the prince a lazy smile. “Hello there, puppy.”

“What, _ in the name of the gods, _ are you doing?!” Sanghyuk spluttered, still rooted to the spot. How did that crown look so perfect on his blonde head?! Like he was born to wear it?!

Instead of immediately answering Sanghyuks question the way he normally did, Jaehwan waved a hand. “Come, puppy, have an audience with your king.”

Sanghyuk squinted  _ very _ hard. This behavior was so alarmingly out of character, the prince was genuinely beginning to worry that his love had suffered some sort of stress induced psychotic break. 

He waited a few seconds more and then walked slowly across the room to stand before his throne. Jaehwan blinked up at him, that smile never leaving his face for an instant, even as he murmured, “Bow to your king.”

“You aren’t my king,” Sanghyuk replied, keeping his tone even despite his growing sense of flustered frustration. 

“Oh, but I  _ am,” _ his love replied, shifting around so he was sitting up and extending a hand. One of his ring covered fingers traced a line from the princes sternum to hip. “I’m the king of your heart, body, and soul, puppy.”

And damn it if he wasn’t right. But- “You can’t steal my crown, love. I almost had a heart attack.”

“Did not steal, borrowed. Bow.”

Sanghyuk bowed. He tried to tell himself he was just playing along with Jaehwans little fantasy role-play, but it felt like more than that somehow. Acknowledging someone else’s control over him was foreign. Almost uncomfortably so. But Sanghyuk still bowed. 

“Now, tell me why I should keep you.”

The prince blinked in confusion. Jaehwan’s hair glinted magnificently beneath the sunlight trickling through the skylight and it was a bit distracting. But, apparently, his lover was expecting a verbal reply.

“I could have anyone I want, puppy, look at me,” Jaehwan said, brown eyes twinkling with mischief. “Why should I accept you as my lover from this point onward?”

Sanghyuk stared at his lover through a fog of incomprehension and growing frustration. “Because I am your prince! I’m your sponsor at court, I give you everything!”

Jaehwan’s mouth curled into a smile. “You can take the clothes from my back and the jewelry from around my throat, but I’ll still be beautiful. Why should I let you have me?”

Sanghyuk gaped, anger swelling in his chest, albeit belatedly. “I am your  _ prince!” _ he repeated, louder and lower and darker, “Cease this impertinence this instant or I’ll lock you in the dungeon and leave you there to rot! Or, even better, what was it you suggested last month? Leash you to my side like a dog and take you against your will whenever the mood strikes me? Would  _ that _ teach you to behave?!”

Jaehwan’s eyes flashed dangerously and he rose with unholy grace. “Try it. I  _ dare _ you. Collar me and watch me die inside, knowing I will never,  _ ever _ be truly yours if you do so,” he hissed, silver crown now glinting at the princes eye level. 

Sanghyuk snatched the band of precious metal off Jaehwan's head and hurled it at the far wall. He didn’t think Jaehwan had ever made him _this_ furious in the entire time they’d been acquainted. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Didn’t know why Jaehwan was doing this, didn't know what Jaehwan wanted him to say and he was so  _ angry _ he couldn’t focus enough to try and figure it out. 

“Stop it! You’re being absolutely infuriating!” he shouted, whirling around and taking several very hasty steps away from the throne. Sanghyuk could feel his pulse thrumming inside his skull, breath coming fast and  _ much _ too shallow. 

“Why?”

The prince spun back around and glared at his lover in the way that usually sent servants and nobleman alike cowering in fear. It had less than no effect. “Because! You’re mine! Stop telling me you aren’t! It’s driving me mad!”

Jaehwan smiled wider. “Why?” he repeated, managing the neat trick of raising Sanghyuk’s temper even higher. “Because I love you! And you love me too, I  _ know _ you do!”

“Say it again.”

“I love you!” the prince shouted, hands balling into fists at his side.

“Prove it to me then.”

With a huff of outrage, Sanghyuk stomped back to the throne where Jaehwan was standing. He grabbed his lover around the waist and pulled him to a more comfortable distance, claiming his mouth with the heat of a brand. 

Jaehwan’s mouth tasted like sugar. There was no sweeter taste Sanghyuk could think of. His lover’s tongue tangling with his own, the prince could do nothing but melt into him, mold himself against Jaehwan's narrow little body to fill the empty space between them. 

“I… have never… been closer to hating you… than I am… right now,” the prince growled between kissed, but Jaehwan didn’t seem to care. 

“Liar,” the elder breathed, fisting the front of Sanghyuks tunic and biting his lip hard enough to draw a drop of blood. 

Sanghyuk hissed at the prick of pain, hands knotting in Jaehwan’s fair hair and yanking none too gently. Jaehwan kissed him back harder. His fingertips dug into the flesh at Sanghyuk’s hips, tore at the neckline of his tunic, ripped the thin garment cleanly down the front. 

“I am your _king,”_ Jaehwan whispered, turning them both, pushing the prince down onto the seat of the throne. He stood between the princes spread legs, untying the amethyst chord holding his robes closed and letting them fall to the ground. Sanghyuk latched onto him, pawing at his thighs and up his back, mouthing at Jaehwan’s soft stomach. “Address me as such.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Sanghyuk replied, breathless and blind. He couldn’t begin to comprehend the gravity of the honor he’d just bestowed on his low-born lover. Couldn’t be bothered. Couldn’t care. He just  _ wanted.  _ Jaehwan always made him want so _terribly_ badly.

“Tell me again,” Jaehwan ordered, straddling Sanghyuk’s lap, “Tell me who I belong too.”

“Me, your majesty, you belong to me.”

Jaehwan’s moans were once again muffled against Sanghyuk’s lips as he deftly unbuckled the prince’s belt. “Tell me why, puppy.”

“Because… I love you.”

Palming his lover’s cheeks and pressing a finger between them, Sanghyuk realized Jaehwan had already prepped himself. The princes finger came away slick with oil and he wondered if Jaehwan had  _ wanted _ this to happen. Had  _ hoped _ it would. Sanghyuk didn’t care either way in that moment, he just needed Jaehwan to-

A ragged gasp was wrenched from him as Jaehwan’s slim fingers wrapped around his cock. They were slick with something that was most likely spit, although the prince hadn’t been paying close enough attention to notice when Jaehwan had done that. He pumped his hand up and down, fast, flicking his wrist each time he reached the tip, only as long as it took for him to assure himself that Sanghyuk was fully hard. 

“Mine,” the elder whispered, lifting himself up and back, sinking onto the princes length with agonizing slowness. _ Mine, mine, mine,  _ it was like a never ending chorus chanting in the prince's head, pounding with every frantic beat of his heart. “Yes, your majesty.”

Sanghyuk gripped his lover’s waist as tightly as he could, aiding with the steady rhythm of his rocking hips. Silken weight on his eyelids, tongue too thick in his mouth, Sanghyuk didn’t think he’d ever loved Jaehwan more than he did right then.  _ Mine. _

“You’re mine, puppy.  _ Mine.” _ Jaehwan’s hands found Sanghyuk’s shoulders and he shoved the prince against the backrest, spine arching as he chased Sanghyuk’s mouth.  _ Mine. _

“No  _ wife…” _

“Never.”

“No  _ mistress…” _

“Never.”

“No  _ other,” _ Jaehwan hissed, laving at the side of the princes throat. Sucking and biting and marking Sanghyuk as his own as he continued to force himself further. Force Sanghyuk deeper.  _ Mine. _

“Never,” the prince gasped, knowing in his heart of hearts that he could never love another the way he loved the man on his lap. Could never want someone more. Could never need someone as much as he needed Jaehwan. He’d give Jaehwan the crown off his head and the shirt off his back if his love asked for them.  _ Mine.  _

“I am second… to  _ none.” _

Sanghyuk panted dryly, body so hot it felt like he had a fever. “None, your majesty.”

Jaehwan’s cheeks were flushed, brow gleaming with a light sheen of sweat, and he smiled like a cat. Voice a murmur of silk sheets on frigid skin as he whispered, 

_ “Mine.” _

  
  
  



	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry, I know it's taken ages! I humbly apologize for the delay, and hope that you like this new chapter <3
> 
> *warning for mild violence, but its super brief and nobody is mortally wounded*  
*this is the final piece of backstory*

_ Jaehwan slipped silently through the streets of Tirion, a medium sized town on the outskirts of the land surrounding the capital. He didn’t want to be there, had debated coming for almost a full week before asking the stable master for a few days off. For time to say goodbye to his dying brother. _

_ Hongbin had sent him a letter. That was the catalyst of the whole pointless venture. Jaehwan was nearly nineteen now, had worked in the palace stables for two years and hadn’t heard from his brother in all that time. Not a word. No hint of what he or his merry band of thugs were up too. Not until last Monday. _

_ ‘Dearest heart, sweetest heart, _

_ It is with great sadness that I must write to bid you farewell. My own heart is giving out. There is no medicine to cure me, no remedy to assuage my pain, other than perhaps seeing your lovely face one last time. Come to me, sweet, come and let me feel the warmth of your gentle hands and softness of your cheeks. I long for you, my sweetest heart. Please.’ _

_ Below that drabble was a scrawled address and Jaehwan had made the hour long journey alone. Come to see his brother alone, despite the rational part of his mind telling him that it wasn’t safe. That it was a lie or some kind of trick. Hongbin was deceitful down to his bones. Nothing good would come of this, Jaehwan knew that in his heart. But he was weak. Still so weak to his best friends wishes that ignoring such a plea would have been impossible. _

_ He felt exposed as he turned down an ally, uneasy despite being hooded and cloaked. Night had fallen at some point, but Jaehwan knew his hair glittered in the moonlight like a beacon. He pulled his hood down lower until he found the door he was looking for. _

_ It was a rather ramshackle building, almost rundown and not in the best part of town, from what Jaehwan could tell. He knocked three times, keeping his head lowered. Nerves were starting to catch up with him now. He hadn’t seen Hongbin in three years. How much could he have changed in that time? How much would he think Jaehwan had changed? How sick was he really? Injured? A lung illness from the fire? So many questions and so little- _

_ “Help you with something?” _

_ Jaehwan looked up at the gruff voice, and up and up and up because the man who’d opened the door was positively gigantic. “I’m Hongbin’s brother, he asked me to come and pay him a visit,” Jaehwan replied, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt. The little cult must still be going strong then. _

_ The man gave Jaehwan a once-over, squinting his piggy little eyes. “You don’t look much like him.” _

_ “He’s adopted, let me through,” Jaehwan snapped, about to push his way past this lump of a man when a hauntingly familiar voice called, “Hwannie?” _

_ Jaehwan went very still, overcome with an incredibly strong urge to turn around and run back the way he’d come. He’d thought he was ready to see Hongbin. He wasn’t. _

_ “Hwannie? You came?” Hongbin asked, appearing on the threshold as the big man stepped aside. He looked... he looked exactly the same. Well not exactly, he was taller, shoulders broader and hair the slightest bit longer, but those big round eyes were the same. His exquisite face was the same. The dimples that flashed when he smiled were the same. But Hongbin didn’t look sick. _

_ “You told me you were dying. Of course, I came,” Jaehwan replied in a monotone. He knew he’d been tricked now. He’d fallen for some kind of prank. _

_ “I told you I wanted to see you...” Hongbin said softly, extending a hand in the elders direction. Jaehwan backed away. “You told me your heart was failing and that you were saying goodbye!” _

_ “Isn’t one supposed to employ flowery language when writing to a paramour? I was speaking metaphorically.” _

_ A rock sank to the pit of Jaehwan’s stomach. He was so stupid. So unbeleivably stupid. “Alright, then, I’m leaving,” he muttered, already tugging the hood of his cloak back up over his head. How could he have been such a complete fool? Hongbin must have just been trying to lure Jaehwan here to trick him into staying or something... something worse. Jaehwan wouldn’t stay. He had a good job in the palace stables and a good (if new) friend in the young crown prince. Why should he give all that up? All Jaehwan had ever wanted was a simple life. His best friend would only make things unnecessarily complicated. _

_ “No, stay,” Hongbin replied, catching his wrist and tugging Jaehwan back towards the open door. “You’ve come all this way, sweetheart, at least have dinner with me.” _

_ “I don’t want to be around your henchmen ,” Jaehwan snapped, trying to shake Hongbin off. He was more angry with himself than he was at Hongbin. Angry with the situation he’d allowed himself to be put in. So stupid. _

_ Hongbin held up a hand, signaling Jaehwan to wait, and then stepped back into the building. If Jaehwan were a smart person, he would have ran then. Turned tail and ran and never looked back. But he wasn’t a smart person, and so he just stood there, watching with slight disbelief as roughly twenty men filed out the front door. Not one of them spared a glace for Jaehwan. _

_ “We’re alone now, just us two. Come.” Hongbin had appeared, holding the door open and gracing Jaehwan with an impish little smile. _

_ “I’m not your paramour, by the by, no need to use any more flowery language. I’d rather you just speak plainly with me,” the elder said, able to hear the pout in his voice as he took a seat at the large farmhouse style table in the middle of the room. _

_ The house’s facade was something of a trick as well. Inside, the building was so large and well kept that it bordered on luxurious. Where Jaehwan had expected chipped plaster and dirt floors, he found fresh paint and hardwood, not a bit of grime or speck of dust to be seen. The henchmen must clean regularly. _

_ Hongbin set a plate down in front of Jaehwan, chicken and some delicious looking rosemary potatoes, and took a seat beside him. _

_ “You aren't eating?” _

_ “I ate with my men already. You didn’t send me a reply and so I wasn’t sure if you'd really come.” _

_ Jaehwan ate quickly. He tried to find a median between eating like a civilized person and stuffing his face because the food was rather good. But he could feel his brothers eyes on him the whole time and Jaehwan didn’t dare turn his head. Didn’t dare look toward Hongbin. He didn’t even know exactly why he was so scared. True, Bin had killed both his own parents and Jaehwan’s. Burned their houses down and left them for dead; but he’d saved Jaehwan. Saved Jaehwan both times, and then let him go when he wanted to go. And yet, a sense of foreboding still roiled in Jaehwan’s belly. _

_ He licked his lips when he was finished, girding himself as he stood and carried his empty plate to the wash basin. Hands came around his waist and Jaehwan stiffened at once. _

_ “Why did you trick me into coming here, Bin?” _

_ “No tricks, I meant what I said in the letter. I missed seeing your pretty face.” _

_ Jaehwan huffed out a breath. “Then why else? I know you have an ulterior motive, so why don’t you just tell me?” he snapped, turning in place and meeting his best friend’s unwavering gaze. That had been the wrong thing to do. Hongbin rested his hands on either side of him, palms to the countertop, caging Jaehwan in. _

_ “I hear you’ve become rather close with the princeling, have you not?” Hongbin murmured, leaning closer and pressing a gentle kiss to Jaehwan’s lips. It felt all wrong, horribly familiar and different at the same time. This Hongbin was a man. Not the skinny boy Jaehwan had once loved and been loved by in turn. No, this Hongbin was stronger, lean but well muscled, and Jaehwan chased his mouth when the younger pulled away. _

_ “What business is that of yours?” _

_ Hongbin kissed him again, so slow it was almost lazy. “Are you sleeping with him?” _

_ Jaehwan tried to pull away then. Tried, but there was no real effort in the movement. It just seemed like the time for him to pull away. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to be having with his ex lover. His only real lover, truth be told. “He’s only sixteen, for god’s sake, Bin!” _

_ “You didn’t answer my question.” _

_ “No, I am not sleeping with him! He’s just an innocent little kid!” _

_ Hongbin’s gaze traveled his body and Jaehwan licked at dry lips. Swallowing hard. Breath coming quick. Jaehwan didn’t want to know how his best friend knew he’d recently befriended Prince Sanghyuk. Didn’t want to know if there were spies in the palace. It wasn’t his business anymore, wasn’t his problem anymore. He’d escaped his brother’s treasonous cult and had no intention of falling back into line. _

_ “I want you to.” _

_ “Want me to what?” _

_ “Sleep with him.” _

_ Jaehwan blanched, shoving his best friend away and stomping towards the door but Hongbin caught him again, dragging him back. _

_ “He’s a child, Hongbin, I will not!” _

_ “Not now, obviously,” Hongbin replied leaving a line of open mouthed kisses down Jaehwan’s throat. The elders cloak falling from his shoulders and pooling around his feet. “Later. Befriend him now, make yourself a safe place for the poor little prince to run when he needs shelter.” _

_ A soft love bite stinging under Jaehwan’s jaw. “Make him need you. Make him want you. Make him want you so badly that, when the time inevitably comes, he won’t be able to imagine giving himself to anyone but you. Come on, sweetheart, I know you’re good at playing the long con.” _

_ Those words, the picture they painted, rang alarm bells in Jaehwan’s mind. “I’m not part of this anymore, I’m not part of your plan, a cog in your insidious machine, I won't,” Jaehwan gasped, arms circling his best friend’s neck even as he spoke. Delighting in the brush of lips against skin. _

_ “You’re here... aren’t you?” _

_ “I thought you- you were dying!” _

_ “You knew I wasn’t dying,” Hongbin replied with a soft chuckle, the feeling of his laughter sending goosebumps erupting over the elder's flesh. “You just missed me.” _

_ They were moving down a corridor then, limbs tangled together in a messy embrace, and then through a door Jaehwan heard open and close. He hadn’t bothered to open his eyes. Not wanting to wake up from this, for it must be a dream, his Binnie in his arms again after being apart for so long. _

_ Did he want this? Jaehwan pondered the question for only a moment as he rested a hand on the swell of Hongbin’s shoulder. Felt a knowing smile twist the lips pressed against his. Of course, he did. Because he was so weak and stupid for this man it was almost pitiful. _

_ “Why do you want me to do this?” he asked, dragging Hongbin’s shirt off over his head, revealing taught chords of muscle along his arms. “Why are you telling me to be with someone else? Is this how you tell me goodbye? That we’re finished for true? That you’ve moved on from me?” _

_ Jaehwan didn’t know why he was asking these questions, poking at what was clearly a sore spot between them, but he just wanted to feel his best friend on him, in him, around him until all that remained was fading memories and bliss. _

_ “Never ‘goodbye’, only ‘see you soon’, sweet,” Hongbin hummed. He backed Jaehwan up against the wall and lunged at his mouth, kissing the elder hard. Taking hold of his thighs and hoisting him up. Pinning him there, in that delicious embrace. Jaehwan all but purred, returning the kiss with abandon, shifting and rolling. He felt his best friend growing hard against him and Jaehwan rolled a little more, grinding smoothly against his crotch. _

_ “Then why?” Jaehwan asked, not much caring about the answer at this point. Hongbin growled into his mouth and pulled his head back, Jaehwan biting his lip in anticipation. The youngers eyes had glazed with lust but he still managed to fix Jaehwan with that coal-fire stare. “I want you to marry the prince.” _

_ “I won’t,” Jaehwan breathed, not taking the time to process his best friends words fully. Hongbin’s lips were hot against his, adrenaline gnawing his veins as he was thoroughly kissed. The elder reached down and palmed Hongbin through his trousers. Feeling his cock twitch against his fingers. His best friends hands were running over his ribs and across his back now, setting him gently on his feet. _

_ Staggering to the bed, fingers stumbling to remove Hongbin’s trousers, Jaehwan tried to focus on the matter at hand. The teeth at his throat, the fingers in his hair, the sudden lack of fabric protecting his body. Cold air on his bare skin. _

_ “And why not?” Hongbin asked, reaching for something on the bedside table but keeping the elder securely on his lap. Jaehwan felt a warm slide and then sharp pressure as his best friend slid a finger inside him. He fought to suppress a moan and failed. “Because I want t-to marry you.” _

_ Hongbin’s sooty lashes fluttered, smiling again as he began working Jaehwan open. “You told me you weren’t my paramour not even an hour ago.” _

_ “I can hate you and still l-love you- fuck Binnie!” Jaehwan keened, feeling the others fingers curl perfectly inside him. He’d half slumped against Hongbin’s chest, latching onto his throat and sucking at the tender skin there none too gently. _

_ “Then... mm, you love me still?” _

_ “Of course, I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to -shit- to be a part of all this!” _

_ Apparently deciding he was prepared enough, Hongbin lay Jaehwan down on the bed. Cupping the elder's flushed cheek and making sure his head was resting comfortably on a pillow. Jaehwan raised his arms to brace himself on something, anything, and the tips of his fingers brushed something cool and sharp concealed between the bed and the wall. A knife. He wasn’t even sure if this was Hongbin’s bedroom or not but sleeping with weapons that easily accessible was a sign that all wasn’t as it seemed. Some outside threat must be making Hongbin and his henchmen nervous. _

_ “But you’d do it for me, wouldn’t you, sweet? If I asked you nicely?” _

_ Power thrummed in Jaehwan veins, unbidden but not entirely unwelcome. Hongbin needed him, needed him to do this. Jaehwan didn’t know what his best friend would do if he refused, but simply knowing he had something Hongbin wanted made Jaehwan feel strong. _

_ “Maybe.” _

_ Hongbin pushed inside him like a knife through ribs, a single traitorous tear slipping down Jaehwan’s cheek from the overwhelming stretch. His cries of pleasure were ringing somewhere far away, somewhere his mind wouldn’t allow him to hear. Jaehwan’s eyes wide with desperation now, fear even, that Hongbin could make him feel this way after all this time. Could still make him feel this way. Could probably always make him feel this way. _

_ Wisps of hair stuck to the sweat of his skin, heart thrashing against his ribs, back arching as Hongbin fucked him into the mattress. How could this still feel like a trick? When the two of them were connected like this, there was no deceit here. Not in moments like this. Only raw emotion. _

_ “This is just a dream, you’re j-just a nightmare,” he whispered, unable to think, unable to breathe, expecting the horrible flames of his memory to burst up all around them at any moment. _

_ “No, my sweet, it’s really just me.” _

_ That was worse somehow and Jaehwan cried out, feeling death as his insides were set ablaze. The lining of his stomach was melting, he was sure of it, his bones charing to ash and skull swelling with heat from the magma his brain had become. _

_ Had he been poisoned? Was he dying for true now? It felt like he’d swallowed a liquid flint and Hongbin had fed it the spark it required to light, but had he? Was this pain or pleasure? Jaehwan didn’t know, but he dragged himself upright, shivering and shuddering and using all the strength he had to sit astride his best friends length. Rolling his hips. Wrapping his shaky arms around himself as if he were cold. Fear throbbing inside him. _

_ Jaehwan screwed his eyes shut tight. He hadn’t been with someone like this in years, unless one counted the stable master, but he’d only done that so he could work. That was just a job interview. _

_ Hongbin caught his hands and laced their fingers together, fucking up into him, looking up at Jaehwan through gently fluttering lashes. But those eyes Jaehwan adored had gone empty again. The way they had the night Jaehwan ran away from the compound. _

_ Certainty bloomed in his chest. This wasn’t where he wanted to be. His prince. The young crown prince with the lovely black hair and doe-soft dark eyes. The quiet, shy prince who came to visit his mare every day and always brought her a sugar cube to eat. He wanted to be in his princes company, sit with him, talk with him, laugh with him, eat with him, dream with him. Not here. Not with this ghost, this phantom of a childhood gone sour and a love turned rotten to the core. _

_ “Binnie,” he gasped, breath catching in his raw throat as the younger laid him on his back. Propped up on an elbow where he hovered over the elder. Running his teeth down the side of Jaehwan’s neck. _

_ “Bin-” Jaehwan tried to repeat, but two long fingers pushed inside his trembling mouth, effectively silencing him. Jaehwan sucked on them obediently, hearing Hongbin groan against his skin. He fought to calm his galloping pulse, tried to let the pleasure take the place of the fear but it wouldn’t go away. _

_ Why would Hongbin want him to marry the prince? Jaehwan needed to think now, because Hongbin surely wouldn’t tell him. Or he’d tell Jaehwan something but it wouldn’t be the truth. Jaehwan fought the haze of euphoria clouding his pleasure-soaked brain and forced himself to concentrate. _

_ If he married Sanghyuk, Jaehwan would be a prince. Or, prince consort, but the distinction wasn’t of too much importance. That would make Jaehwan next in line for the throne if the king and Sanghyuk were to die. But Hongbin despised the monarchy. If he wanted power he could just kill them all and take power by force. Maybe his group wasn’t strong enough to pull off a coup like that yet. So what would- _

_ “Do this for me, Hwannie, I need you to marry him, please,” Hongbin said softly, his hand stroking the elders neglected cock and mouth pressed to the shell of Jaehwan’s ear. Jaehwan’s head fell back, whining and mewling as his orgasm was pulled from him in a flash of blinding white. _

_ He could feel Hongbin pulse inside him, the younger groaning against his temple as he came, and understanding finally hit Jaehwan over the head like a mallet. Destabilize from the inside. Put Jaehwan in a position of power, kill off the rest of the royals, then marry Jaehwan himself and take the power away. Hongbin would have a legitimate, genuine claim to leadership that way. He could make himself a king and use that position to tear down the monarchy and form his utopia. Jaehwan was just a stepping stone, he realized, lying there with the man he loved, still loved, more than life itself. The truth of it tasted like ashes melting on his tongue. _

_ It was all laid out before his mind's eye, Hongbin’s plan, as precise as stones set in a mosaic. An equation of sedition. _

_ “Tell me something,” Jaehwan panted, feeling wetness between his thighs as Hongbin pulled out and collapsed beside him. _

_ “Anything.” _

_ Jaehwan took a single steadying breath. “What you said before, about making him need me...” _

_ “Yes?” _

_ “Is that what you’ve been doing to me all this time?” _

_ Hongbin’s eyes softened with pity and he hid his face in the crook of Jaehwan’s shoulder, nuzzling at his neck. “Of course not, Hwannie, what makes you think that?” _

_ Jaehwan wanted to believe him, he really did, but it was a lie. _

_ “Are you going to kill my prince if I do as you ask?” _

_ “Already ‘your’ prince? Got attached so quickly, did you?” _

_ There was a smile in his voice, but Jaehwan didn’t believe it for a second. Hongbin may be an excellent liar, a master manipulator, but not like this. Sex always ruined his tricks, it made him too raw, too open, unable to control himself enough in intimate moments to keep his motivation secret. No, this was what Jaehwan was good at. _

_ Using the knowledge that Hongbin wanted to play with his heart again, toyed with his emotions just to throw him away when he got what he wanted, combined with the idea of the young prince being murdered, Jaehwan allowed himself to get angry. _

_ Hate burned in his stomach, in his heart, spreading through his veins like poison and leaving him hollow inside. Hongbin had probably never even truly loved him. And Sanghyuk had never done anything wrong, the kid couldn’t hurt a fly. Jaehwan could use this plan, use Hongbin's advice to earn himself a life of leisure at the prince’s side, but that was where it would stop. _

_ A slow smile spread across Jaehwan’s face as he sat up, straddling Hongbin’s stomach and running his fingers through the younger man’s hair. “You want me to marry him for you, Binnie?” he hummed, leaning forwards until they were nose to nose, his hands dangling off the edge of the bed. _

_ “Yes, sweet, would you please?” _

_ Jaehwan arched his back a bit as his best friend traced his spine, skimmed over his ass and squeezed. _

_ “Are you going to kill him?” _

_ “Obviously, is that a problem?” _

_ This was the problem. Jaehwan loved Hongbin, loved him with his whole heart, had loved him since they were children, but he knew exactly what Hongbin was capable of. His best friend didn’t make idle threats. Jaehwan would be doing the world a favor really, ridding it of one more evil man and saving an innocent life in one stroke. _

_ Hongbin had never and would never love him the way Jaehwan wanted him too. _

_ He focused on that single thought, holding it in his heart until the entirety of his body was black with anger. Pure, heartbroken rage. _

_ Jaehwan’s fist closed around the hilt of the concealed blade and drew it free, dragging it across Hongbin’s exposed stomach before Hongbin even had time to react. Aiming to gut him like a fish. Vitus and gore spilled across his hands, splattering his face and chest, and Jaehwan fell sideways off the bed in his haste to escape what he’d just done. He fumbled for clothes, any clothes, trying and failing to block out his best friend's cries of agony as blood began dripping onto the floor. _

_ “I won’t let you break the world Binnie, I love you too much for that,” the elder gasped, not daring to look back, not daring in case he saw the life leave his best friend’s eyes because then he would truly be ruined. He couldn’t face the horror of what he’d just done, couldn’t fully process it yet, and so he pulled on his cloak, pulled up the hood, and fled. _

~~~♕♔♕♔♕~~~

Lee Hongbin sat by the window in his palace guest chamber, staring out at the lawn below. 

Whatever scheme Jaehwan had cooked up, it had clearly worked. The princeling had been following him around for a week and a half, always touching him, clinging to Jaehwan like they were literally glued to one another. The prince hadn’t sent for Hongbin once, hadn’t searched him out once, hadn’t dined with him once. 

He watched, now, as Sanghyuk twirled Jaehwan across the lawn. Watched them stumble and tumble over, Jaehwan’s petal pink robe fluttering in the gentle summer breeze where he lay across the prince’s chest. Hongbin could almost hear their laughter, even three stories up. 

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Jaehwan had stolen Hongbin’s plan. He’d been doing everything in his power to try and get the prince to marry him. Wearing those ridiculous clothes, making himself seem weak and helpless, catering to the princes every whim. And since Hongbin had arrived, his efforts had redoubled. 

Hongbin smiled to himself, watching the prince roll them over and begin kissing his brother’s neck. 

This was exactly why he’d come here. Hongbin knew Jaehwan would try harder, if only to spite him. It was all going exactly as he’d planned. But if Jaehwan thought he could keep his power once he married Sanghyuk, he was sorely mistaken. Hongbin would take it from him, pry it from his cold dead hands if that was what was necessary. 

He’d already begun his work on the king, his most trusted spy slipping small doses of poison into his food. Small enough that it would seem like the king had simply fallen ill. The queen was superfluous and Hongbin wasn’t even bothering with her. Once the king was dead, once Jaehwan had married the prince, Hongbin would turn his attention to Sanghyuk. And if Jaehwan wouldn’t fall in line, he’d have to deal with the consequences. 

A knock on his door drew Hongbin’s attention from the window and he looked around. His most trusted accomplice was waiting on the threshold. Eyes downcast and posture respectful. 

“How fares the king?”

“He grows worse by the day.” 

“Excellent,” Hongbin replied, striding across the room and resting a hand on his mans shoulder. “And the proposal?”

His man cleared his throat. “Prince Sanghyuk is planning to propose on Sunday. At the end of the feast.”

Hongbin grinned. “Even better.”

“Do you really think Jaehwan is falling for it?” his man asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot. 

“Hook, line, and sinker. I know just what to say to make him do what I want, don’t worry. Everything is going perfectly.”

He slid his arm around his mans neck, nipping at his earlobe. “Just think, very soon you can stop masquerading as a servant and resume your place at my right hand.” 

Wonshik kissed him then, mouth open and eyes closed, hand tracing down his well defined chest. Hongbin smiled into it. People were so easy sometimes. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! RABIN!
> 
> Thank you to @babieken and @MonsterBoyf for beta'ing!!! Praise you


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short little drama free bit, enjoy~

“Your attention, please!”

Jaehwan raised his eyes a fraction at the sound of his prince’s voice, the clink of his knife tapping against a crystal goblet. 

The great hall was packed with nobles from all over Antigoney, come to celebrate the Autumn festival with their ruling monarch. The fact that their ruling monarch was currently ill and confined to his chambers didn’t seem to matter. Sanghyuk had taken over proceedings with an efficiency that was almost frightening. He’d been trained for this his whole life, to assume the role of king, but it still startled Jaehwan somewhat. Seeing his puppy behave so... maturely. 

The concubine let his gaze flick to one of the nearby tables. Sanghyuk had placed Hongbin alongside Prince Hakyeon and Lord Taekwoon, and his brother was currently whispering in the latter’s ear. Jaehwan didn’t like the look on Hongbin’s face either. He was up to something. 

“Love,” Sanghyuk murmured, waiting for the conversations around them to die down. Jaehwan leaned down a bit. “Yes, your highness?”

“I have a surprise for you.”

Jaehwan fought not to arch a brow, smoothing his features over into the placid mask he practised every morning in the mirror. Sanghyuk smiled up at him, tugging on Jaehwan’s hand before standing. The concubine wasn’t sure what was going on, why his prince had gotten to his feet or why he was grinning like an idiot in front of the entire court. The queen didn’t look pleased, her face pinched and expression sour, but Jaehwan didn’t know why. 

“As I am sure all of you know,” his prince said, raising his voice so he could be heard across the wide room. Jaehwan felt distinctly uneasy now. 

“I am sure you know that Jaehwan has been at my side for more than four years now.”

Jaehwan felt the blood begin to drain from his own face. The room was deathly quiet.

“He is my most staunch supporter, my most loyal advisor, my best friend, and if these past four years have instilled me with any belief, it’s the belief in our love for each other.” The prince had moved out from behind his chair and taken Jaehwan’s hand, pulling him around the table so they stood together in the center of the raised dais. 

Jaehwan glanced around, catching Hongbin’s eye. He looked much too pleased with himself. A hand on his cheek drew Jaehwan’s attention back to the prince. It was gentle, just the softed brush of fingers against skin, but Jaehwan still felt like he’d been slapped. 

Sanghyuk reached inside his jacket pocket, fumbling with something Jaehwan couldn’t see. The concubine knew what was coming now. Knew why the queen looked so upset and Hongbin looked so happy. 

“Jaehwan of Virisey...”

The prince dropped to one knee, a collective gasp emanating from the watching nobles and Sanghyuk held up a ring. The most beautiful ring Jaehwan had ever seen. Sterling silver, by the look of it, a four carat rectangle of deep green tourmaline surrounded by hundreds of tiny diamonds. An engagement ring. His prince was _really_ doing this, he was really going to propose in front of all these people-

“Will you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?”

Jaehwan felt like he’d been dipped in liquid nitrogen. He was frozen solid, staring down into Sanghyuks open, expectant face. It was finally happening. Four years of waiting and his prince had finally decided to keep him. All Jaehwan had to do was open his mouth. All he had to do was fucking _speak_ and yet his jaw was wired shut by his anxiety. It was wrong somehow. Everything was how it should be, he was dressed in his favorite set of pink robes, he knew his hair looked good, but-

He glanced left again, searching for his brother. It was Hongbin’s plan, the one Jaehwan had stolen and decided to carry out on his own. And he saw Hongbin smiling at him now. That smile like all his pieces had fallen into place. Satisfied. 

Hongbin lowered his head and raised it, an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement, and Jaehwan latched onto the gesture like a drowning man clutching a life preserver. He was floundering inside but the silence in the room had gone on for too long now. Jaehwan looked back to his prince and found that Sanghyuk’s smile had faltered. Expression unsure, mouth turning further down into a frown as the seconds stretched on. _ Come on, Jaehwan, just open your stupid mouth and say- _

“Yes.”

It came out in a choked whisper and Jaehwan cleared his throat, heart fluttering in his chest as he repeated, “Yes, I accept.”

The room erupted in applause, the sudden onslaught of sound an assault on Jaehwans senses, but he didn’t care overmuch. Sanghyuk was beaming up at him, absolutely radiant as he slipped the ring on Jaehwan’s finger. 

His prince stood, cupping Jaehwan’s face in his large hands and lowering his head. Jaehwan clutched the front of his jacket, needing to anchor himself. To hold on to something stable. If he didn't, he’d just float away, the concubine was absolutely sure. 

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

Sanghyuk kissed him then, soft and slow as the noble guests continued to cheer. Jaehwan melted into it. He wouldn’t have to hold himself back in public anymore. Wouldn’t have to force a distance between them or push his prince away. He was finally free to love Sanghyuk the way he’d always wanted too. 

They broke apart, just enough for Sanghyuk to wrap his arms around the concubines waist. The hug helped to steady Jaehwan, and despite his overwhelming sense of unreality, Jaehwan couldn’t help but smile. 

"I love you, puppy," Jaehwan whispered.

"I love you more."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> COMMENTS AND KUDOS ARE LOVED <3
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nestras_rvng)  
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